Convergence (Assassination Classroom, PMMM, Grisaia, Maplestory)
by Fennag
Summary: Akemi Homura, Goddess of the Universe. For Madoka's sake, she twists reality itself to her will. However, none could have expected the repercussions of her actions; now, bound by the thread of fate four worlds and their inhabitants are poised to collide, barreling towards an inevitable conclusion where the fate of the universe hangs in the balance.
1. Chapter 1: A New Class

_**Chapter 1**_

"… Something's weird, Homura-chan".

"What do you mean, Madoka?"

"I can't really explain it well… but-"

"Doesn't it feel like nothing's changing, Homura-chan?"

"No, it doesn't. Besides, even if it was that isn't a bad thing, is it? It's safe; nobody has to die, nobody has to sacrifice themselves. Isn't that good?"

"It… is… but somehow, everything feels… lifeless. Like there's no color in the world."

"…I see."

A velvet hand caressed Madoka's cheeks, much as how a mother would touch her child. Yet, for some reason Madoka could not describe, it left an indeterminate chill on her skin.

"Don't worry, Madoka. I'm here to make you happy, after all."

* * *

 **March 2015: Kunugigaoka Junior High School, Classroom 3-E**

Kunugigaoka Junior High was an impressive school. Boasting an array of modern facilities to enhance the experience of its students, it spared no expense at improving and enriching its students to bring out their potential. Coupled with the impressive track record of its students - of whom an overwhelmingly large number would go on to enroll in prestigious high schools - and it came of no surprise that Kunugigaoka was the premier choice for parents, guaranteed to give your child a smooth path through life. However, for those who needed further encouragement, there was always class 3-E. Those deemed to require additional help were placed in 3-E and given their very own campus a full 30 minutes away from the main campus up the mountain, to provide them with the reflective environment that they required to help them learn; or so the parents were told.

In the run-down, wooden classroom used by 3-E, it seemed to be a day like any other. Students bent over their desks, diligently revising while waiting for their teacher. There was no chatter, no jovial laughter; the very picture of studiousness. Or so it would be, had the air not been filled with unease and anxiety. A chime tinkled from the senile clock: almost as if orchestrated, the class stiffened up as one. A few seconds crept past, and then the old door rattled open for their teacher.

"Now then, let's begin homeroom! Class Monitor, on your command!"

"S-Stand!"

Instantly, the guns were up. 26 pistols and rifles held by 26 students, aimed squarely at their teacher. 26 clicks echoed in unison as their safeties were unlocked. 26 guns –

\- And one spear.

Noticing the lone student besides him, the teacher turned to look at her.

"I'm surprised, Sakura-san, that you would try to kill me with a spear." Glancing at the makeshift shield she wore on her arm to guard against her classmates' bullets, he nodded approvingly.

In response, the red-haired girl gnashed her teeth. "… Shut up, damn octopus."

"Mmm. Well then, please continue, Shiota-kun."

"A-Attention! …Bow!"

A hail of pellets stormed out from tiny barrels. Tiny, round pink foam pellets. Pellets that would not hurt a human.

…Then again, the teacher before them wasn't human.

Paint cracked, chalk snapped, walls shook, glass broke; but nothing splattered, nothing tore. Not blood, nor skin, nor tentacle. Though in all fairness, it was hard to hit a creature moving at speeds exceeding sound.

"Good morning." The teacher's cheery voice rang out over the din. "I'll be taking attendance, so please fire all you like." Calmly, he began to recite names, following the order of the class roster without error.

"-Sakura-san?" Finding no response, he glanced down again at the girl besides him relentlessly stabbing at his afterimages. Raising his voice slightly, he repeated himself. "Sakura-san?"

"What's your problem! I'm right here, right! Can't your tiny eyes see that!?"

"Yes, I can see you very clearly, Sakura-san. However, I am your teacher after all, and I would be so happy if you showed at least a little respect to me - the very least would be to acknowledge when I call your name." The grin on his yellow face widened as he gazed upon her futile attempts to stab him.

"Argh, fine! Here!"

And with that last name, rollcall, along with the deafening hail of pink pellets, ended.

* * *

"Arghhhh! Why the hell can't we kill that damn octopus! Even though the whole class was firing away!" Angrily running her hands though her red hair, Sakura chomped upon an unfortunate Pocky stick vehemently. Besides her, the blue haired boy could only sigh.

"…Well, that's to be expected. No way we can kill something that moves at Mach 20; even the military failed."

Sakura Kyouko and Shiota Nagisa. Two students who, despite bad grades, were largely unremarkable.

Yet for some reason the two, along with 25 others, had been entrusted with saving their world from a monster; namely, their teacher.

A large, yellow octopus that jiggled as it moved. A monster that had blown up 70% of the moon, and had threatened to do the same to the Earth if he was not killed in one year.

Glancing around the room, Nagisa took in the faces of his fellow classmates. Over the moans, groans, sighs and slumps, a single question pervaded the room, hanging over the heads of everyone present.

"… Why us?"

It was not just because they were only 14, at best 15 this year. It was not just because they were, for the most part, ordinary students whose only responsibility up to now had been to study. Rather, the most important reason of all was that they were class 3-E. The failures. The rejects. The weak.

… Yet for some reason, the monster had insisted on becoming a teacher of this very class.

"He's a superhuman being capable of destroying the Moon and capable of Mach 20 speeds; if he had wanted to get away from us, we would have no chance to kill him."

"However, this monster made us an offer. The government will refrain from attempts on his life; in return, he would become a teacher for Kunugigaoka Junior High's Class 3-E. In short, the 27 of you are the only ones who can kill him and save the world."

Several days had passed since that first, fateful meeting. However, no one was any more the wiser why they had been entrusted with such a vital task.

Nearby, Sugaya Sousuke and Okajima Taiga, two fellow classmates of 3-E, were slumped over their desks. "Haah… I really want that 10-billion-yen bounty on his head…"

"So do I; but then again, it's not like trying our best will get us anywhere."

"That's true; after all, we are 3-E. The End Class."

* * *

"Stupid octopus… Does he think that just because we can't touch him he can do whatever he wants!? Wait and see; I'll make sure I kill him!" The gently warm rays of the setting sun stroked Kyouko's face as she stormed down the path from the classroom.

Their repeated failures at killing him wasn't what was grating at her; it was the way he was so nonchalant about the whole thing. The way he went about his life as if he wasn't in any danger absolutely pissed her off.

"Dammit, we're just like toys, dancing around on his damn strings. Why can't we kill him? At this rate, he's just going to do what he wants and destroy the world. Can I really do nothing?"

"… Kyouko-chan!"

Startled, Kyouko jerked her head up, finding that she had already reached the bottom of the path. A short distance ahead, two girls were waving enthusiastically at her. The sight of them immediately lightened the dark cloud hanging over her.

"Hey, you two. "Grinning, she clapped each on their backs. Just then, she noticed them peering at her worriedly. "What's wrong?"

"That's what we should be asking you, you know." Sayaka cocked her head curiously. "You've been looking upset lately; did something happen?"

"Huh? Not at all, you're just imagining things." It wasn't as if she could tell them the full story; her teacher's existence was a state secret, after all.

"Really? If you've got any problems, we don't mind helping you with them. We're friends, aren't we?"

"Like I said, it's really nothing." Kyouko blushed embarrassingly as she turned away from Madoka's worried gaze. "Well nevermind that, let's go get something to eat; my stomach's rumbling."

"Erm…Aren't we missing someone?" At this, both Sayaka and Kyouko looked at each other curiously.

"…Who?"

"Er… well…"

"…If you're talking about Mami-senpai, she already graduated, remember? Or is there someone else?"

"… Maybe not, I guess."

"Hmm. Well whatever, let's go get some grub."

* * *

"Madoka… Damn!"

Her hands smashed against the barrier in front of her. Ripples spread out over its surface momentarily, mocking the futility of her attempt. The image of Madoka laughing happily, having forgotten of her existence tore at her; forcing the tears out from her eyes.

A wisp of darkness seeped down into her prison; cold and mocking, it caressed her face, a foul caricature of the very way she had once stroked Madoka's cheek. Clenching her fist, she smashed away the invasive tendril.

"Watch and see; I will find a way out of here. I will take back the power you stole from me and I will destroy you."

She had relieved countless time-loops for her. She had sacrificed herself for her. She had even become God for her. All for her sake.

She would not let it end here.

* * *

Kyouko crunched down upon her chocolate bar, snapping it in half. Watching the unkempt grass swaying in the wind, she sighed as she laid down on the grass.

"What a nice day…"

"Am I interrupting your rest, Sakura-san?"

Startled, Kyouko spun around to find her teacher- whom the class had decided to call 'Korosensei'- standing behind her, with his trademark wide, toothy grin.

"Damn octopus, what are you doing here?"

"Well, it was such an excellent day, I thought it would be a waste to spend it indoors during lunch break. Besides -" He walked over, sitting down beside Kyouko. "-I thought that since I'm free, it would be a good time to talk with you."

"I don't have anything to talk to you about, octopus."

"That may be true. However, I do have something to talk to you about, as your teacher." Korosensei smiled amicably as he watched Kyouko chomping away on her chocolate. "I've noticed that unlike the rest, your grades don't seem to be improving, and you don't spend much time studying. Are you having some kind of problem?"

"…Shut up. Besides, there's no point in studying."

"Why?"

"Isn't it obvious? If I kill you, I'm rich; If I don't the Earth's getting destroyed anyway so it doesn't matter. Either way, I don't need to study."

"… I see. So that's how you feel, eh?"

Realizing something was off with his tone, Kyouko turned to look at Korosensei. He was frowning. His ever-present grin had vanished, replaced by a dark grimace. Kyouko blinked as she stared confusedly at his face.

"It seems I have been too lax with your studies, Sakura-san. But I shall correct this mistake of mine. Until you improve your grades to a satisfactory level, you are forbidden from making any attempts on my life!"

"Huh?! How can you decide something like that?!"

"Why not? Your grades take priority over assassination; as your teacher, I have the responsibility to ensure that your grades are at a satisfactory standard!"

"What kind of reasoning is that! Besides, what gives you the right to force a rule like that on me in the first place?! I'll do what I want to, and you can't stop me!" Tossing aside the wrapper of her chocolate bar, Kyouko stormed off. Korosensei watched her leave, his tentacles picking up the abandoned wrapper thoughtfully.

"It seems that Sakura-san has yet to accept me as a teacher; I will have to work harder to prove myself to her."

* * *

"…Well, where do I go now?"

Standing in front of the school gates, Kyouko watched the sun's scarlet rays bathing the campus. She wanted to let out her frustration from the afternoon talk, to find an outlet to release some steam. However, both Sayaka and Madoka were having a study session today, and Kyouko didn't want to cut into their studies, lest they ended up in 3-E with her.

"Guess I'll kill some time at the arcade then…"

However, thoughts of her afternoon talk with Korosensei kept clouding her mind; before she realized it, she had overshot the arcade. Looking around to get her bearings, Kyouko realized she was outside a particular high school; namely, the one that Mami had entered after graduating from Kunugigaoka. Absentmindedly rubbing the screen of her phone, Kyouko hesitated about calling Mami out to chat. Just as she had decided to give up on the notion, the phone in her hand rang abruptly.

"Hello? Who is it?"

"It's me, Sakura-san."

"M-Mami?! Why are you calling me all of a sudden?"

"Well, I saw you outside the school. You looked like you needed to talk."

"Oh… Yeah. Are you free now?"

* * *

The two met up in a small cafe across the road. With its cream-colored walls, comfy sofas and soft lighting, the cafe exuded a cozy atmosphere. Coupled with its delicious selection of treats, the cafe had been a popular hangout for the four of them back then. When Mami had graduated their meetings - then a weekly affair - had steadily become more and more sporadic. Yet, Kyouko had not thought much of it then; it was only until she had been separated from Sayaka and Madoka after being transferred to 3-E did she realize how much their little tea sessions - and the companionship it brought - had meant to her.

Mami hadn't changed much since she graduated. Her golden hair was still worn in two long, curly drills on either side of her head, and she still possessed an air of elegance about her. Along with her excellent grades, she had been looked up to by the other three, both as a senior and as a role model. Perhaps that was the very reason why Mami was the only one whom Kyouko could let her guard down around.

"…I see you've been having a hard time, Sakura-san. But I can't help but wonder why is it that you don't wish to study. I don't wish to lecture you, but what your teacher says is true, you know; grades can get you into a good school and get you ahead."

"I know, but… I don't like how the school treats 3-E like trash simply because they can't study. Grades are just a piece of paper anyway; why the hell are people being judged solely on that?"

Kyouko thought back to the day before her transfer to 3-E. Back then, she had still been in the same class with Sayaka and Madoka. She had been lagging behind in her studies, but with help from the two of them she had managed to avoid getting transferred to 3-E. However, one of her classmates hadn't been so lucky. Kyouko still remembered the look Nagisa had when he had left the teacher's room; hopelessness and despair seemed to swallow him as he staggered out. It was painful to look at.

Yet, not only had their classmates not consoled him, they even went out of their way to mock him. Kyouko wasn't on close terms with Nagisa, but she knew that he certainly didn't deserve being abused by the rest simply because he got sent to 3-E. And so, before the entire class she had stood up for him, even getting into a fight with the two who had been the most vocal in abusing him. For her breach of conduct (for a 3-E student, no less) her teacher had thrown her into 3-E along with Nagisa.

At first, she had laughed it off in front of her concerned friends. "Don't worry about it, it'll all work out in the end." she had confidently predicted. "I'll show them how wrong they are!"

What Kyouko hadn't expected, however, was the sheer amount of discrimination that 3-E was forced to endure. Callous remarks from former classmates and teachers became trivial when she realized that the school itself treated them as trash, giving them incredibly run-down facilities and banning them from the main campus except on special occasions. Helplessness gave way to frustration and then rage when she realized that the school itself was suppressing students simply for having bad grades.

And yet, she had been helpless to change anything. Her own effort meant for little when even her 3-E classmates had given up hope and embraced their image as failures. Silently she endured through her days in 3-E, frustration and despair slowly building up as the days passed.

Then Korosensei came. At long last, a chance to change things had come. All they had to do was kill him, and then they could prove that even the 'worthless' 3-E could succeed, she thought. But as their failed attempts on his life piled up, the despair that had receded with his arrival began to rear its head again.

"At first, I thought it was as simple as going into 3-E, pulling something remarkable off and then proving everyone wrong; but now… it's just starting to feel like no matter what I do it doesn't matter. In the end, things just don't work out. And now I don't even know if anything I do has a point anymore."

Mami's yellow eyes shone with worry at Kyouko's words, but she too could not find any words to encourage her. As an alumnus of Kunugigaoka, she was well aware of the problems 3-E faced. The silence grew heavier as the unspoken question hovered before the two; can we even do anything?

"Don't give up hope, Sakura-san!"

Suddenly, the blast of twin air horns tore through the silence between the two. Standing beside their table was a flesh-colored Korosensei, disguised in a respectable suit; two gloved 'hands' pressing enthusiastically onto the hooting air horns to declare his presence. The price tag from the black wig on his head energetically jumped up and down as he nodded his head encouragingly at the stunned girls.

"It's too early to give up! I will do everything in my power to help 3-E: that is my promise to you all as your teacher!"

"Where did you come from?! Don't tell me you were following me all this time!"

"…No, I just happened to pass by. Just so."

"You're obviously lying! That's your poker face!"

"Well, there's no need to worry so much about it, Sakura-san." He smiled sheepishly.

"Geez, you creep… So, what's your plan? It better be good."

"Of course it is! All we have to do make sure that everyone gets good grades in the upcoming midterms! I already have a plan to – "

"Like I said, what the hell is it with grades?!" The cups leapt fearfully as Kyouko slammed her hand down onto the table, a snarl streaked across her face. "Why the hell does everyone care so much about a bloody piece of paper! That paper can't judge our worth!"

Korosensei's squishy hand extended to rest reassuringly on her shoulder. "You're absolutely right, Sakura-san. It's true that there is more to a person than grades."

"However, grades too are not simply just a piece of paper. To get good grades you must study, and that takes diligence. And that will to work hard comes from your own belief in yourself; that you have the ability to succeed as long as you put in your effort. Looking at your classmates, do you think that they have that confidence in themselves, Sakura-san?"

"That's…."

"Right now, what 3-E needs is confidence. Confidence to stand up against the prejudice that has been pressing them down. If we can get everyone's grades up we can show them that, despite what everyone says about them, they can succeed if they put their mind to it. Only then will your classmates gain the confidence they need to stand on their feet."

Kyouko couldn't find any words. Korosensei had seen the heart of the matter: the hopelessness that plagued them. Sent into 3-E for failing to keep up, their continuous failure after failure, combined with the incessant humiliation, had stripped them of their hope and will. Defeated, she closed her eyes, sinking back into the leather sofa.

"…Do want you want; you're the teacher after all." A big grin stretched across Korosensei's face.

"Indeed I will; however, I must also insist that you too put in effort and take your studying seriously. How about this: if you can rank within the top 50 students in the upcoming midterms, I'll do you a favor as a reward!"

"H-Huh?! Top 50?! Are you kidding me! There's no way I can score that high!"

"No, you can." Korosensei waggled a finger admonishingly. "As long as you believe in yourself, you can succeed. Isn't that the message you wanted to spread?"

"Urgh…" He got her there.

"Well, there you have it. Now, I feel that I've intruded for too long upon your chat, so I'll be taking my leave. Remember, Sakura-san; top 50!" And with a sudden howl of wind buffeting them, he vanished. The two girls stared dumbfoundedly at the space where he had just been a second ago, blinking in disbelief.

"…You have a rather incredible teacher, Sakura-san." Mami chuckled as she adjusted her hair. "I must admit I'm rather jealous."

"…He's a showoff, has a creepy laugh, and is one huge pervert, but I guess he's not that bad after all."

The smile that had crept onto her face was momentarily replaced by a frown as a thought cropped up in her head. Why had someone like him destroyed the moon?

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

And there you have it: the first part of my crossover involving four animes. Next chapter will probably see me introduce the main characters from Grisaia and Maplestory that will play a more prominent role here, as well as Homura starting to get more active in getting her own back. I'm sure there must be a ton of questions, so I'm going to preemptively talk about some of them:

 **What's with the -chan,-san etc.? :** From my understanding, Japanese honorifics carry subtleties; for example, -san acts as a polite way of addressing another, suggesting either a professional relationship, or the speaker being polite. It felt inappropriate to replace it with Mr./Miss, and considering that the source material is for the most part anime, I decided to leave it in, even though it does look weird in a wall of otherwise English text  
 **Why a crossover between this four? :** Initially it was brought on by Chiba (the male sniper of Assassination Classroom) who reminded me of Kazami Yuuji from Grisaia, who is an actual adult game protagonist and a sniper too. Because I had recently played Friendstory (Maple in a school on our world), it occurred to me that it could actually fit into the crossover. Somewhere along the way PMMM jumped onto my thought train and refused to budge, so I ended up just rolling with it.  
 **How far is this going to go? :** Currently I have an idea on how to develop this crossover up to the Assassination Island arc (the part where 3-E faces off against the 3 assassins and that other guy); past that... well, we'll see

And that's about it, I guess. Any constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated, I certainly could use the help :)


	2. Chapter 2: Of Snipers And Bows

_**Chapter 2**_

 **Ichigaya Main Office**

He strode quickly through the hallway, seeking out the familiar wood doors to her office. Not that he was in a hurry; just that he never enjoyed being in the main office. The scent of paper pushing and bureaucracy hung over the whole building, making his skin itch. Finally arriving at her office, he raised his hand to give the door a sharp knock.

"JB, I'm coming in."

Pushing open the doors, the oddly comforting sight of the shaggy-headed blonde who doubled as his superior officer greeted him. Seating himself in front of her on a plush sofa, he spoke before she could even greet him.

"Come to think of it, have you found yourself a boyfriend yet?"

"…Huh? Where did that come from all of a sudden?"

"On my way here, I ran into this drunk 30-something year old woman. She clung onto my shirt and kept whining about how sad she felt to still be single at that age. I was worried you might end up running to me crying as well one day if you were left on the shelf." His reply earned him an immediate glare from JB.

"…Look here, do you really think I'm that old? For your information, I'm not even thirty yet!"

"I feel it's best to start early; based on the way you live, I can easily see you in a similar situation once you hit thirty. By then, it may be too late to save you."

" _ **Haah**_!? What do you mean by 'based on the way I live'?! I'm a career-minded woman; I'm single now because I want to focus on my work! You have a problem with that!?"

"...Don't get so worked up, Julia; I'm just concerned for you, that's all. Putting that aside, why did you call me here for?"

"I swear… Getting me all riled up like that before talking about business… You take after Asako in the worst possible ways." Exhausted, JB sank back into the sofa. Her blue eyes met his hard, black ones as she let out a sigh of resigned exasperation.

Kazami Yuuji, 17. Also known as I-9029, he was the best sniper Ichigaya had. And also, JB mused, possibly the best chance the world had at survival.

"...I suppose you've heard the news that 70% of the moon has been destroyed, correct?"

"Of course; rather, I don't think anyone hasn't heard of it. Except a certain twin-tailed blonde, though I suppose that's only normal for her."

"Well, we found out who destroyed it." Her slender fingers reached out, sliding a document across the table to him. Taking her cue, Yuuji opened the document. Flipping open to the first page, his eyebrows raised questioningly.

"… An octopus?"

"An octopus with superhuman capabilities, yes. And it's threatened to do the same to the Earth. Though, you don't look very surprised, Yuuji."

"It's a fact that 70% of the moon is missing; and I believe that you won't call me all the way out to the main office just for a prank." Looking up, his eyes met hers coolly. "So, what's my mission?"

JB felt a strange wave of relief wash over her. Despite the abnormal situation, Yuuji was still capable of maintaining his calm; that alone gave her hope that maybe there was some way out of this mess.

"He'll be heading with his students to Kyoto soon; you'll work with them to snipe him."

"His students?"

JB sighed. "Our government struck a deal with him to let him teach a junior high class. It's better than having him on the run; we wouldn't even be able to catch him. Don't worry; he's promised not to harm the students, and they'll work with us to assassinate him. I know it's a weird arrangement, but we don't really have a choice here."

"Students workings as assassins, huh…"

Yuuji's face remained emotionless as he studied the document, but JB could see it in his normally unreadable eyes; a school in the mountains where the taking of lives had been the subject, where innocence had been a pipe dream and violence a grim necessity. A past from which he had escaped, but had never managed to separate himself from. JB's heart clenched painfully as she gazed silently at Yuuji, remembering the first time she had seen him; though he had grown up to be a better man than she could ever have expected, every now at then she could still see flashes of the broken, scarred child who knew nothing beyond the blood on his hands.

"… If you're not comfortable with this, I can try and get the superiors to assign this to someone else. You're supposed to be on reserve duty anyway- "

"No, I'll do it. There's a place I wish to protect, after all." JB couldn't help but smile at this.

"You know, it wasn't so long ago that I couldn't have dreamt that you would say something like that." Her eyes softened, like a mother gazing at her child. "You've changed, Yuuji."

"Please stop; you're destroying my image of you by acting so mature."

"…Just what kind of image do you have of me, exactly?"

 **Kunugigaoka Junior High School**

"Sorry for keeping you back so late, Kyouko-san."

"Don't worry 'bout it, Nagisa! It's not like I'm busy or anything."

The orange rays of the sleepy sun crept into the school hallways as Nagisa and Kyouko walked through the main campus to the front gate. The members of 3-E, despite being located up in the mountains, still had to exit the school through the front gate. And through cruel, calculating design, the time at which the members of 3-E reached the main campus was the exact same time all the classes on the main campus were dismissed. The members of 3-E would have had no choice but to pass through hallways thronging with fellow students and former classmates alike, all of whom would not hesitate to throw out a hail of derogatory and snide remarks. Kyouko, therefore, had jumped at the opportunity to evade the humiliation, offering to help Nagisa clean up the classroom after they had been dismissed.

"Still, I can't help but feel like all I do is bring you trouble, Kyouko-san. You wouldn't even be in 3-E if you hadn't stood up for me; it just feels like I'm dragging you down."

"Look here, you…" Kyouko sighed. "We've been through this before already, haven't we? I decided to speak up for you because I wanted to; you don't owe me anything, and you're certainly not dragging me down." Raising her hand, she gave Nagisa a hard, but friendly thwack on his back. "Your problem is that you don't have any confidence in yourself. Come on, puff out that chest! Stand up straight like a man!"

"M-My back hurts… You're bending my shoulders too far back… "

"Put up with it; a real man can take pain! Now repeat after me: I am strong!"

"I-I am strong…?"

"Aw come on, is that your best? Louder! With more force! I'm not letting go until you do!"

"I-I am strong!" Nagisa's voice ran through the empty hallways, sprinting away into the distance. With a sigh Kyouko let go of Nagisa, much to his relief.

"Well, I guess that's the best you can do right now, I suppose. Still, you really need to have confidence in yourself. You're a guy, you know! …Well, even if you don't look like one."

"…You didn't have to add in that last part… Still, thank you Kyouko-san. You've helped me out so much I don't know how to thank you."

Kyouko awkwardly scratched her red cheek as she looked away uncomfortably. "I-It's nothing, I just don't feel like I can leave you alone, that's all! Don't get the wrong idea, okay?" Looking around for a way to change the topic, she realized they were outside the auditorium where the school held an assembly earlier that day. "Come to think of it, wasn't that guy's behavior weird during the assembly?"

"You mean the prefect who passed us spare handouts?"

"Yeah, him! I didn't expect a prefect to actually defy the student council, that's sure."

The school-wide assemblies - held every once in a while, which even 3-E had to attend - was often a dreaded experience for them. To start off, the assembly was always held after 3-E's lunch break: meaning that the students had to spend their lunch break rushing down the mountain to the main campus, while the other students could leisurely assemble after they had eaten their fill. The other classes would also spare no effort to jeer at them as they filed in, something that they had no choice but to bear in silence. To top it all off, the student council would find ways and means to further single them out; the ploy this time had been the student council 'forgetting' to print handouts regarding the upcoming school trip for the 3-E students.

"Excuse me, but we don't have any writing materials with us, so we can't copy anything down." Isogai Yuuma, the class representative, had spoken up for the class.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that! I suppose you'll have to memorize every little detail then!" The student council representative gloated, prompting an outburst of laughter from the other classes.

As a wave of angry muttering passed through 3-E a prefect stopped in front of them, a stack of handouts in his hands, which he promptly began to distribute to the startled 3-E students.

"Here; good thing I made extra."

"H-Hey! Where did you get those from?! Don't tell me you took those from the other classes!" The panicked council representative shouted into the microphone, prompting a screeching blast of feedback from the speakers. Unfazed, the prefect turned to face him.

"Don't worry; these are extras I printed. I noticed that the number of handouts we had printed was less than the number of students we had, so I printed the missing amount, along with some extra just to be safe. Is that wrong?"

"Kuh!... That's very…kind… of you."

Now a wave of muttering was passing through the other classes as they glared at the prefect for having spoiled their fun. Looking around at the accusing eyes directed at the prefect, Yuuma turned worriedly to him. "Are you sure about this? We don't wish to cause you any unnecessary trouble."

"Relax, I'm fine. Besides – " The prefect shrugged coolly. "- I've had worse before; this is nothing." And thus, for the first time in Kunigagaoka's history the tricks of the student council had been thwarted.

"...Well, it's good to see that there's still some good people in this school." Kyouko reflected as the two gazed into the now-empty auditorium.

"I'm worried about him, though; the student council definitely won't let the matter rest."

"Well, he looked like he could take care of himself. Besides, they can't punish him over something like that, so – Huh?"

Stopping dead in her tracks, Kyouko stared at the backs of the two girls peeking around the pillar. "…What are the two of you doing?"

"Ah! Kyouko!" After the initial shock wore off, Madoka and Sayaka ran over to Kyouko.

"What were you guys doing? Aren't the two of you supposed to have left already?"

"Well, we had to stay behind to help the teacher out with something… Who's this?" The two looked at Nagisa curiously.

"Oh, that's right, you haven't met him. This is Nagisa, my classmate." Turning to Nagisa, she introduced the two girls. "The pink-haired one is Madoka, while the noisy one is Sayaka."

The insult that would normally earn her a sharp retort fell flat as the two girls stared at Nagisa, dumbfounded. "Wait – You're a guy?"

"…Do I really look like a girl that much? Besides, why would a girl wear a guy's uniform?"

"Well, I've never seen a guy with such long hair." Sayaka leaned closer as she peered curiously at Nagisa's hair. "You've even got it tied in two pigtails too, that's just – just –"

Unable to hold it in any longer, Sayaka burst out in laughter. "That's just too damn cute!"

"S-Sayaka-chan! That's mean!" Madoka tugged hurriedly on her sleeve.

"S-Sorry, I just couldn't take it…" she gasped as she wiped away her tears.

"Seriously, you…" Kyouko sighed. "So, what were the two of you doing?"

"Oh, that. Madoka said she heard some weird noises coming from the art classroom. She thought it was a ghost or something."

"That's because there shouldn't be anyone there at this time! And we saw shadows moving around inside too!"

"Couldn't that just be some students cleaning up?" Nagisa pointed out.

"But there was some strange moaning coming out from there too! People don't make sounds like that!"

"Argh, geez. If you're that worried about it, why not we just go take a look? The sun's still up anyway, there's no way there could be a ghost there!"

"Ah! Wait up, Kyouko-chan!"

* * *

The Dustie reared up, the black appendages that doubled as its' arms writhing in agony. A bomb-tipped arrow sliced through the air, striking it squarely in the chest; in an instant, the Dustie exploded into tiny black fragments. His fellow Dusties behind him surged forth, eager to avenge their fallen comrade.

"Fenag! Behind you!"

Clicking his tongue in annoyance, he swung about; snatching a plaster bust from its pedestal, he smashed it straight into the face of the flanking Dustie. Plaster chips flew as he dropped the bust: pulling back his bowstring, he released a flurry of golden arrows into the stunned Dustie, slicing it apart.

"Hey! Don't break stuff! I can't replace them!"

"Lily can!" Leaping into the air, he turned to unleash a hail of arrows on the approaching Dusties. The dog, ignored by the Dusties, trotted around the shattered bust towards the archer.

"Aw come on, she'll chew me out if I have to ask her to clean up again! In the first place, she wouldn't even be helping me if Master Grendel didn't put in a word for me!"

"Erwin, I - " Landing with a thud, he summoned a stationary bow that fired into the staggered Dusties. "– really don't care." Turning about, he shot a blazing arrow at the Dusties that had just spawned from the shadows behind, blasting them backwards and igniting them.

Having created some breathing room, he finally turned to glare at the dog beside him. "In the first place, _**you**_ are the reason why we're here in a different world. And _**we**_ are cleaning up _**your**_ mess."

"Hey, you _**agreed**_ to help!"

"Yes, and I'm regretting it now."

At first, it had seemed like a simple, albeit queer task: Erwin had accidentally opened a portal to a different world, and the student who came through had refused to return. While Erwin worked out a way to close the portal and convince the student to go back, Fenag would take the place of the transfer student in Kunugigaoka. Of course, Fenag had expected that it would take some time, but he had reasoned that staying on a different world for a while would be a nice change of pace, given how peaceful it was compared to the Maple World.

…And then the Dusties began to appear: constructs of darkness presumably created by the dark energy of the Black Mage leaking into the other world. In order to prevent their existence (and by extension, the portal's) from becoming known as well as to protect the civilians, Fenag had been tasked with eliminating them.

"I thought you liked a good fight!"

Fenag jerked a thumb at the endless waves of Dusties surging out from the bulging shadows. "You call this a 'good fight'?"

"Well, at least I'm here to watch your back, right?"

" _ **Thank you**_ Erwin, that makes me feel _**so**_ much safer." Fenag snorted as he rained arrows down upon the encroaching Dusties.

Fenag didn't mind fighting; he too didn't want the Dusties running around hurting innocent students. However, when provoked the Dusties tended to pour out in endless swarms, which made fighting very difficult. There was a contingent of Cygnus Knights nearby, but they had explicit orders to guard the portal, preventing them from coming to help him. And thus, Fenag had to fight off hordes of Dusties alone each time they sought to clear an infestation.

Fortunately, even the Dusties had a limit; slowly, the shadows began to settle as the Dusties streaming out from them slowed to a trickle. With an exhausted sigh of relief, Fenag shot the final Dustie into pieces. Wearily checking his surroundings, he sank to the ground.

"...Why in the world does this school have so many infestations? I thought we just cleared out the art classroom a week ago…"

"Well, Dusties tend to gather in places where there's a lot of people with negative emotions." Erwin pawed sadly at the shattered bust. "I guess this school has a knack for messing people up. Can't say I'm surprised though: this school sure has issues. What kind of school actually encourages its students to look down on another class? You sure did well during the assembly earlier."

"You were there?"

"Heh, you'll be surprised at the places I can fit into with this dog's form. Good work there; I could barely stop myself from laughing at the council representative's face!"

"It did feel nice…Still, I think I shouldn't have done that after all."

"What? Why not? You did the right thing!"

"Yeah, but still…" Fenag flicked his bowstring absent-mindedly, worry creasing his face. "Eventually the other guy will still have to come back, right? So, whatever I do now will have repercussions for him when he comes back. It's not fair of me to do whatever I want now, because he'll have to pick up the pieces later."

Erwin stared dumbfoundedly at Fenag; then suddenly he broke out laughing.

"Hey, what gives? I'm being serious here."

"I know, but it's just hilarious." Lifting a furry paw, he pointed squarely at Fenag. "You do realize that when all this is over, you'll be back in the Maple World fighting for your life every day, against the Black Mage and his minions? If you ask me, I'm really not concerned with whatever happens on this side once the portal's closed. Honestly, it's pretty amazing how you can still worry about stuff like that."

"I'm not sure I like the idea of being compared to you."

"Come on, it's not like you're going to see anyone on this side ever again once the portal closes, right? Can't hurt to do whatever you want now; you'll probably never get a chance like this again, you know."

"I'm not as irresponsible as you – "

The sound of approaching footsteps silenced them; in a flash Fenag shot an arrow at the door, jamming it in place.

"What in the world are people doing here at a time like this?!" Erwin hissed as Fenag quickly tore off his armor, hurling it into his backpack.

"Shut up and help me keep my stuff!"

Pulling his student uniform out of the backpack, Fenag quickly began to pull it on. A shadow loomed into view through the frosted glass window of the door, followed by a rattling sound that echoed in the still room.

"Hm? That's weird, the door's stuck." As the disembodied voice filtered into the room, the arrow quivered ominously; with incredible speed Fenag dressed himself.

"Alright, that should be it – "

"F-Fenag! Your bow!" Erwin was vainly attempting to lift the heavy bow, the last compromising article –

With a grunt, the door was shoved open, the arrow holding it snapping in two and vanishing.

* * *

Kyouko strode confidently into the room and instantly halted in her tracks. She felt a soft bump as Madoka bumped into her; however, her attention was focused entirely on the scene before her.

"…The hell?"

Suddenly, the oddly familiar student before her spun about.

" _ **Hey**_! Get off my bow, you damn dog!"

He aimed a swift kick at the dog; with a terrified whimper, the dog ran past the startled girls and dashed down the corridor.

"That - little - bugger…" The student cursed under his breath as he snapped his bag shut. Just then, Kyouko remembered where she had seen him.

"Aren't you that guy who passed us the handouts earlier during the assembly?" At this, he looked up at her closely.

"Oh, are you part of 3-E? Yeah, that was me. What are you still doing in school at this time?"

"W-Well, I was helping to clean up the class. Rather…"She swiveled her head, looking around the devastated room; plaster littered the floors, tables and chairs alike were scattered haphazardly about the place. "…The hell happened here?"

"Ah, that…" At this the student grimaced. "That dog caused all of this."

"…How did _**that**_ happen?"

"I was heading off when a teacher asked me to clean up the art room for tomorrow's lesson; I was in the midst of doing so when that dog suddenly came in. I tried to catch him, but then he began jumping all over the place and well… things got a little messy." Picking up the shattered plaster bust, he let out a heavy groan. "...This is going to be hard to explain."

Kyouko blinked in disbelief as she stared at him. "Are you serious? How did you make such a mess chasing a dog – "

"- _**Woah**_. Is that a bow?" At Sayaka's remark, Kyouko's attention was drawn to the red bow lying silently on the floor.

"Yeah, it's mine. I'm an archer; I was planning to go to my dojo after school today, so I brought it along." The student picked up the bow, carefully inspecting it. "Whew, at least it doesn't look like it's damaged."

" _ **Cool**_!"

Upon a closer look, Kyouko had to agree with Sayaka on that. It was unlike any bow she had ever seen; it was sleek and smooth, covered in minute yet incredibly detailed engravings. A thin line of gold ran along the edges of the bow and its arms, giving it a soft air of elegance. Running a finger along it, Kyouko was stunned to realize that it wasn't made from laminated wood as most were, but rather carved from solid wood much like a traditional bow. "That's some fine craftsmanship…"

"Umm…" Madoka's voice broke Kyouko out of her daze. "Do you need our help to clean up?"

"Oh, that's not necessary. I don't want to hold you all back – "

"Don't worry about it!" Kyouko clapped him reassuringly on his shoulder. "Think of it as thanks for what you did earlier at the assembly!"

And before he could protest any further, the four were scrambling over the classroom, tidying up the place; with their help, the room was quickly restored to its original condition. The shattered plaster bust was quickly buried in a cupboard at the back, the empty pedestal upon which it stood discreetly moved into the shadows.

"Come to think of it, we haven't introduced ourselves yet right? I'm Fenag from 3-B." And with that, introductions were swapped between the five.

"Well, thanks for all your help. I'm sorry about this, but I'm running late for my archery practice. See you all around school!"

"Hey, wait a minute – "

Remembering what she had wanted to ask him, Kyouko spun about to stop him. However, Fenag had already disappeared down the corridor.

"…Damn, he got away." The other three looked curiously at her.

"…Why do you look so annoyed, Kyouko-san?"

"It's nothing, I just thought it strange that he could make such a mess chasing a dog."

"Now that you mention it…"

"…Oh well." Kyouko shrugged. "Hey, you guys want to get something to eat? I could really go for a burger right now."

"I don't think I should intrude upon the three of you, so…"

"Aw, come on!" Kyouko gripped Nagisa's arm tightly. "Talking to people you don't know can be a good way to build up courage, you know!" Ignoring Nagisa's feeble protests, Kyouko dragged him out of the room, with Madoka and Sayaka following; and slowly, the chatter of the four faded away into the distance.

Silently the shattered bust lay in the cupboard; its disappearance would eventually be noticed and it would be uncovered from the shadows, but for now at least, it would remain hidden.

* * *

 **In a certain cafe**

May had come. The sakura flowers had come and gone, and with it the throngs of students who filled up cafes and streets, relaxing over delicious sweets while making eyes at members of the opposite sex. Now, the only students on the streets were hurriedly rushing home, wistfully eyeing the cafes that they had been frequenting only a month earlier. One particular café, however, was still dutifully frequented by two students, albeit for an entirely different reason.

"Argh! I totally don't understand this!"

A familiar voice echoed throughout the vacant café; behind the cashier, two waitresses in mid-conversation paused to give a sympathetic glance to the red-haired girl bent over a table filled with books. Mami chuckled as she watched Kyouko run her fingers through her hair, her eyes shooting pure hatred at the mathematical question before her.

"Who the hell comes up with questions like these?! I swear the teachers are trying to kill us!"

"Well, Kunugigaoka does set questions that are harder than most. However, as long as you have a strong grip of the fundamentals, you should be able to answer them."

"This goes way beyond 'harder than most'! They're outright crazy! Every question in these midterm test papers are crazy!"

Ever since the conversation that Korosensei had with Kyouko, she had been coming down to the very same café once every week for a study session with Mami, who had been tutoring her. That in itself had already required a great deal of commitment from Kyouko, who had to forcibly drag herself to the café each session. However, given that the midterms were now looming close, Kyouko had (after much anguishing) asked Mami if she could spare more time tutoring her, to which the older girl had readily agreed. Now, however, Kyouko would not have hesitated to go back in time and give her past self a nice, tight slap.

"…Ah that's it… I need a serious break…"

Drained, Kyouko slumped back into the sofa, sinking into the imprint she had left over their countless sessions. A slice of cheesecake – courtesy of Mami – slid across the table to Kyouko, who jabbed at it spiritlessly with her fork.

"…I don't even have an appetite for sweets anymore…"

"Relax; you're actually doing quite well. At the very least, you won't be failing any of the midterm papers. Now it just depends on whether you can get the additional marks from the trickier questions to put you in the top 50." Mami calmly sipped from her cup of tea as Kyouko groaned.

"I still can't believe we're actually going over stuff that's not even in the midterms! Are they really going to test us on things we haven't even learned yet, Mami?"

"Oh, I'm guessing they will." Mami chuckled as she set her cup down softly. "The school has a habit of testing students on subjects they'll only cover next semester; that way, only students who study ahead can get the marks to ace the paper."

"Damn! That principal… If I get my hands on him I'll be sure to give him a good beating!"

"Well, you can't deny that what he does is effective. It teaches you not to be complacent simply because you've learnt what you're supposed to; that's a very good lesson to learn."

"Come to think of it…" Kyouko pulled herself up from the sagging sofa, staring worriedly at Mami. "You've been spending a lot of time with me lately. You have midterms too, don't you? Are you sure it's fine to spend so much time on me?"

Mami gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry; I'm certainly not neglecting my studies. Besides, helping you revise like this helps me strengthen my own fundamentals too."

"Are you sure? I don't mind if we cut back, you know - "

Mami pointed an admonishing spoon at Kyouko. "...You're just saying that because you don't want to study, don't you?"

"H-Hey! I'm really worried for you!" Watching Kyouko squirm in her seat, Mami couldn't help but laugh, causing the younger girl to glare annoyedly at her.

"Sorry, I couldn't help it." Wiping a stray tear from her eye, Mami smiled warmly at Kyouko. "It's just that chatting like this reminds me of the old days; when the four of us used to gather here after school and talk over tea and cakes."

"Ah, that. Come to think of it, it has been some time since we last did something like that, haven't we?"

Kyouko herself hadn't managed to see much of Madoka and Sayaka recently; they too had been having their own study sessions, albeit with their friends from the main campus. It did feel like they were drifting apart, she mused. Suddenly, a thought struck her.

"Come to think of it, Mami, I don't really see you hanging out with others from your school. Are you making time for them?"

Mami had been about to take a second sip of tea; upon hearing Kyouko's question her hand jerked, and tea splashed out of the cup. The cup made a soft clatter as Mami placed it back down.

"Oh, that… Don't worry, I'm doing fine."

Mami's carefree tone couldn't fool Kyouko; staring into Mami's yellow eyes, she saw the glittering luster of gold, shining silently amidst the whites of her eyes. A dull ache rose in Kyouko's heart as she was struck by the realization that their little 'study sessions' had, to Mami at least, been something more; a link to a place of warmth, a warmth that she had been unable to find in her current school.

"M-Mami, are you, by any chance – "

"Sakura-san."

Mami's voice silenced Kyouko's. Smiling gently, she tapped the question that they had stopped at.

"…Shall we continue?"

* * *

The sleepy sun yawned in the orange sky, its' orange rays flickering across the rooftops and shining upon the pedestrians making their way home after a long day. A chime tinkled as it waved goodbye to the two girls leaving the café; out on the pavement, Mami turned to face Kyouko.

"Well then, I'll see you again next week I suppose?"

"Pretty much, yeah. Thanks for everything!"

Kyouko turned to leave; however, she halted mid turn. Hesitating slightly, she turned back to face Mami, a smile on her face.

"…You don't mind if I bring Madoka and Sayaka, right? I think they'll be happy to have you teaching them, you know."

"I don't mind, but will they be alright? I mean, they're busy, aren't they?"

"Don't worry about it! I'm sure they can take some time out to meet up!" Kyouko flashed her a reassuring grin. "Then the four of us can hang out again, just like old times!"

"That… does sound nice."

"Then that's settled, then! I'll bring them next week!"

And with that final promise, Kyouko turned to leave, her red hair swinging cheerily in the sunset; swiftly she disappeared into the stream of passersby.

"… That girl."Mami couldn't help but smile at Kyouko's words.

"I'm sure she saw right through me…"

She had been happy to hear Kyouko's words. Though she would not admit it to her juniors, the truth was that Mami simply couldn't find another person in her current class that she could sincerely regard as a 'friend'. She had a special bond with Kyouko, Madoka, and Sayaka; a bond that she simply could not find amongst her classmates. It had been that way too, while she had still been in Kunugigaoka.

At first, she had not thought much of it. But now, she was starting to think that something was amiss, especially after she found 'it'.

Silently she pulled it out of her pocket; an egg-shaped yellow gem that glittered in the sunlight. Mami had found it one day in her drawer, with no idea how it had gotten there in the first place. Yet, when she had touched it, an incomprehensible jumble of memories had surged up: of places Mami had never seen, yet somehow knew; of battles she had never fought, yet saw herself in. Even now, she was still unable to make sense of any of it; however, one thing she had been sure of was that the gem had been part of a connection that linked both her, and her three juniors.

"And I had wanted to ask her more about it too…" Mami mused. Yet, Kyouko's sudden question had thrown her off guard, and she had been unable to broach the topic afterwards.

Sighing, she slipped the gem back into her pocket and turned to leave. The sun's warm rays shone on her, yet it could not dispel the chill that laid on her skin: a chill that was not brought on by the lingering cold air from the café; but rather by a vague sense of unease - a feeling that something was very, terribly, wrong with this world.

* * *

"… _ **Tch**_."

Clicking her tongue exasperatedly, Homura turned away from the swirling portal in front of her. She had hoped that the sight of her Soul Gem would help Mami regain her memories; however, it seemed that the gem alone was insufficient to jolt her memories. Silently she cursed herself for having altered their memories so perfectly; while it had prevented them from rebelling against her, now that she required their help, overwriting the very same memories she had implanted was proving to be an obstacle.

Despite her failure, for the first time since she had been imprisoned Homura saw a ray of hope. With just a little more effort, she would be able to undo the spell she had placed on them. And when that happened, the four magical girls would swiftly realize that the world was not what it was supposed to be; and that she, Akemi Homura, was missing. From there, she would be able to direct them to break her out of the prison that held her.

Silently, she stared up into the darkness swirling above her cage. The usurper who stole her power was up there somewhere, hiding in the darkness and manipulating this world. This very world, which she had created for Madoka to protect her – she would not let him do with it as he wished.

" _ **I**_ was the one who brought you into this world, Black Mage. And if I can create you, I can _**destroy**_ you. You will _**not**_ stand in my way."

For now, she would wait and bide her strength. But when she had gathered enough of her strength again, she would try once more.

"...And this time, I _**will**_ not fail."

* * *

And that's it for Chapter 2! Sorry about the delay; had to tend to several matters hammering on my door recently. With luck though, I should be able to be able to update this more frequently now.

I quite like the idea of a relationship between Nagisa and Kyouko; not the lover kind, but rather as brother and sister. I think Kyouko's personality really complements Nagisa's, and the fact that she's an older sister herself will probably make it likely for her to treat Nagisa like a little brother she can't leave alone, especially considering his looks. (I thought he was a girl too when I first saw him)

That being said, I think that's enough Kyouko for now (sorry to all the PMMM fans reading this); it's probably time I started giving more time to Yuuji and Nagisa.

 _ **So what's going to be in Chapter 3?**_ I'll probably cover 3-E's school trip to Kyoto, starring Yuuji's sniping skills (among others), as well as some interaction between Yuuji and Nagisa. Big, manly assassin with small, feminine assassin? Why not :) Depending on the length, I might also be able to fit in the Maplestory Bowman (he's a Bowman because I like the Bowman class, so there) though I doubt it; this update actually ended up longer than I expected, especially when I compare it to Chapter 1.

Well then, onward to Chapter 3! Stay tuned for further updates!


	3. Chapter 3: A Trip To Remember

**Chapter 3**

 **Mihama Academy**

Crouching down, Yuuji pulled the metallic case out from under his bed. He turned the combination lock to the numbers '9029'; with a click, the lid opened. Swiftly inspecting the insides, he reconfirmed that none of the rifle's parts had been misplaced after the maintenance he performed last night. Closing the lid, he scrambled the code before sliding it into the bulky backpack beside him.

"Now for the portable cooker - "

A pair of hands clapped over his eyes as he felt a pair of breasts press shamelessly into his back; with it came a sultry voice, that whispered into his ear.

"Guess who~"

"...The slut of Mihama Academy, Suou Amane." Pulling her hands away, he heard her let out a pout.

"Come on, can't you be a little more surprised? Or maybe show a little more reaction? Shouldn't a healthy young man like you immediately push me down onto the floor and start ravishing my body?" As she spoke, she started moving up and down, rubbing herself on Yuuji's back.

"...If I was such a person we would be having intercourse everywhere, given how little you wear. And stop rubbing your chest on me, my back doesn't need a massage."

"That's right, Ama-nee!" A shrill voice pierced through the air, making Yuuji groan. Almost instantly he felt another person bury himself in his back, rubbing her chest – or lack of it – against him. "Papa needs flat chests like Makina's! You can take your cow tits and go play with yourself!"

" _ **Hah**_!? What did you say, you little brat!"

"Ow! Me chiks! Dn't pvull on me chiks!"

"...Alright, that's enough." With a sigh, Yuuji separated the two. "What are the two of you doing?"

"We're marking our territory! If we can get our scent on you, then at least the women outside will stay away from you!"

"… 'Marking your territory'? Since when was I yours?"

"What'cha you saying, Papa?! Papa's Mihama's Academy property; if you're goin' out o'course you must come back!"

Yuuji let out a second sigh as he patted Makina's fluffy straw-colored hair. "Like I said yesterday, this is just a work assignment that'll last for a few days. There's no danger involved; so don't worry about me."

Despite his words, Amane's face was still filled with worry. "Still... This is the first time you'll be leaving Mihama for a few days, you know? That already means this job isn't normal - "

" _ **WAIT A MINUTE**_!"

Suddenly, a blonde-haired girl dashed into the room. The twin tails on either side of her head flared up and spun wildly as she swiveled her head, pointing an accusing finger at the three.

"If you're going to be having a threesome, how could you not invite me?! That's discrimination! I'm a student of Mihama too, aren't I?! I demand a part of Yuuji!"

Makina glared annoyedly at her. "What does bein' a student of Mihana got te' do with this, Chiruchiru! Besides, it's call'd a 'threesome' cos' there's only _**three**_ people, innit!"

" _ **ARGH**_! I don't care! I want a quadsome! _ **A quadsome**_!" Michiru dived headfirst into Yuuji's chest, burying her head in him. Wiggling her head around in his chest, she suddenly realized something; lifting her head, she stared straight into Yuuji's eyes.

"Wait a minute... Why are you still wearing clothes? Is this some kind of new fetish?"

"...Because we're not having sex. I was in the midst of packing when they came in."

"...Eh? _**EH**_?!" Shell shocked, she swung her head about wildly, staring at the two girls beside her. The two stared at her with exasperated expressions, their faces silently conveying their answer.

"… _ **SACHI!**_ "

"Yes? Did you call for me, Michiru-sama?"In reply to this scream, a pink-haired girl wearing the clothes of a maid poked her head into the room.

"What's the meaning of this?! Didn't you tell me that Amane and Makina were 'getting it on' with Yuuji?!"

"Yes, I did. However, I meant that they were saying their farewells to Yuuji-kun; you dashed off before I could clarify myself, Michiru-sama."

"You totally did that on purpose, didn't you?!"

"...What's with all this noise so early in the morning?" A second person walked into view behind Sachi; her violet hair shook menacingly as she glared at the blonde girl, who visibly shrunk under her glare. "Must you always make so much noise, Matsushima-san?"

"Uuuuuuu... Sorry, Yumiko..."

"By the way Yumiko, I thought you said yesterday that you weren't going to send off Yuuji because there wasn't a need to?" Upon Amane's words, Yumiko started, a luminescent blush spreading across her face.

" _ **W-What are you saying**_?! The noise just happened to wake me up, t-that's all!"

"...So you say, but you're fully dressed."

Yuuji sighed once again as he turned around to look at each of the five girls who had squeezed into his room.

"I told all of you last night that I'll be fine; there was no need for all of you to send me off. It's just a routine job, there's no danger involved - "

"But your job has something to do with the guy who blew up the moon, right?"

"...Who told you that?" At this, four pairs of eyes turned accusingly to Yumiko, who sighed.

"It's everywhere on the net; rumors that a super creature destroyed the moon, and that's he's threatened to do the same to Earth. Of course, the government denies such claims, but there's a lot of activity going on; money is moving around, and assassins are being hired. Something is going on behind our backs; and now you're suddenly called away for a few days."

"...Papa, are you really goin' up against somethin' like that?"

Yuuji looked at them, seeing the worry evident on each of their faces. It would be a pain to come up with a way to assuage them; JB would be here soon to pick him up, and he still had to finish up his packing as well as take a bath. He could already foresee that an adequate explanation would be a major inconvenience, setting him back by a considerable amount of time, and he didn't feel secure if he wasn't able to recheck his luggage for missing items at least once.

...Yet, he found that he didn't mind it at all.

* * *

 **Kyoto**

The spring wind blew, carrying with it the rustling of young leaves; the refreshing breeze descended from above, wafting through the torii that stood vigil outside the temple. The hair of the 3-E students danced delightfully with the breeze, as their owners shuffled about in nervous anticipation; it was the first day of their school trip, and they were raring to go.

However, each of them knew that they had a vital task to fulfill during this seemingly innocuous school trip; a month or so had passed since Korosensei first came, and time was ticking. And thus, despite their bubbling enthusiasm the class gathered around their P.E teacher – and Ministry of Defense liaison – Karasuma Tadaomi. Glancing around, they noticed someone was missing.

"...Where's Bitch-sensei?"

"She's busy distracting that octopus; she won't be joining us for this briefing."

'Bitch-sensei', or Irina Jelavic, was a female assassin who made use of her stunning looks to assassinate her targets; after her earlier attempts on Korosensei's life had failed spectacularly, she had joined 3-E as their English teacher, though she had not given up hope on assassinating Korosensei.

"Well then, we'll go through the mission one last time." The students tensed up visibly, their eyes focused on him.

"As I've told you all beforehand, Kyoto is an excellent place for a sniper, with many good sniping spots. As such, the government has activated a sniper to be on standby this Kyoto trip. Each group will get one chance today to set up a situation for him to snipe that octopus; the group that succeeds in killing him will get a part of the 50 billion bounty for their assistance. Therefore, make sure to keep an eye out for good sniping spots as you travel around the city. Once you've made your decision, inform me and I'll arrange for the sniper to be there; you will be in charge of getting that octopus to the designated location and distracting him for the sniper to do his work."

"That being said...You are all still students after all, so... While you keep an eye out for sniping spots; make sure to enjoy your school trip."

And thus; on that final, awkwardly inserted note the students broke into their groups, venturing out into the expansive city that beckoned them.

Kyouko - having agreed to join Nagisa's group beforehand - now found herself marveling at the unique composition of their group. In addition to Kyouko and Nagisa themselves, their group also had Karma, an playful and lazy genius who also had a penchant for violence; Kayano, a cheerful girl who was very sensitive about the size of her breasts; Okuda, an introverted girl who excelled at science ; Kanzaki, a quiet and demure lady; and Sugino, an energetic baseball player with a crush on Kanzaki. Quietly sliding up to Nagisa at the back of the group, Kyouko tapped on his shoulder.

"...Are you sure a group like this is going to be alright?"

"Eh? What do you mean?"

"...Are you serious? Look at them!" Kyouko jerked a thumb over at the rest, who were poring over a map as they debated where they should head to first.

"Hey, let's check this street out! It looks like fun! Apparently there's a lot of monsters here!"

"Why in the world would we want to go there?"

"Come on, Kayano-chan. It'll be fun! Maybe if we run into one, you could ask it to make your breasts bigger!"

" _ **You got a problem with small chests**_?!"

"Kanzaki-san! Do you like cakes? I hear that this neighborhood has excellent cakes!"

"I do, but I don't wish to cause trouble for anyone..."

"Don't worry, it'll be fine! Even if the rest are busy, I don't mind staying by your side!"

"...Umm..." Her soft whisper swallowed up by the chattering four, Okuda looked around helplessly as her eyes conveyed a silent plea for help.

Her point made, Kyouko turned back to Nagisa, waiting for his answer.

"W-Well... It'll all work out... I guess?"

"...You're joking...right?"

* * *

Eventually, after much wrangling the group had managed to settle down into something resembling order, and had finally been able to get their school trip started proper. Brimming with enthusiasm, the group plumbed the depths of Kyoto: they strolled through picturesque gardens in contemplative silence; they dove in and out of quaint eateries, their mouths full and wallets lighter each time as they left; they marveled at stunning temples, entranced by their aura of antiquity and elegance; they skipped down bustling streets, ducking in and out of red-roofed shops as the sun shone fondly down on them. And though their feet cried out in protest, nothing could dissuade them; it was only until their sore feet had buckled down and refused to budge did they finally drag their heavy feet to a quiet park to rest.

As their enthusiasm slowly drained away, fatigue had rushed back in; it would be some time before the group had found the strength to totter unsteadily out of their leafy haven. The evening sun shone gently as they walked down the silent street, punctuated only by the occasional cry of a stray cat.

Sugino was the first to break the silence. "...Honestly speaking, I'm not surprised that the rest failed, you know. I mean, if it was that easy to snipe Korosensei we wouldn't be having so much trouble assassinating him now, would we?"

Through Karasuma, Nagisa's group had learnt of how their fellow classmates had, throughout the course of the day, set up the perfect situation to snipe Korosensei; and how each time Korosensei had effortlessly foiled each of their attempts. Now, Nagisa's group was the only one who had not yet tried.

That being said, none of them had any doubt as to where their chances lay; Sugino had voiced the unspoken thought that had laid at the backs of their heads.

And yet, they wanted to try. Not to kill Korosensei, perhaps; that was too high a goal to aim at for now. But to pull off a trick, a stunt that could surprise - or even startle - their teacher; that was the true aim of the group. To show that even a superhuman creature such as Korosensei could be unnerved was; for 3-E as of now, the highest priority.

And so, despite their fellow classmates' failures Nagisa and his group continued to search spiritedly for the best sniping spot they could find. Possible locations were noted, and then later compared; ploys to distract Korosensei were thought up, then simulated. And as they continued to hash out the best strategy to assassinate Korosensei, in a strange and convoluted way each found that they were enjoying themselves, to a degree that they could never have imagined.

But all things would come to an end; and as the yawning sun began its slow descent, the group arrived at a decision. Calling Karasuma, they informed him of their plans.

"Very well, I'll have the sniper be on standby at the spot." And with that, Karasuma began his preparations for the final sniping of the day.

"...Do you think it'll work?"

At this, Kyouko strode over to the hesitant Nagisa, giving him an all-too familiar slap on the back.

"Well, we just have to do our best, right? If you've got time to be worrying, you've got time to make things happen!"

"... _ **Hoho**_... Since when did you become such good friends with Nagisa, Kyouko?"

Spinning around, Kyouko saw Karma grinning mischievously at them, an evil glint in his eyes; behind him, Sugino had a knowing smile on his face as he nodded in empathetic agreement.

"W-What are you saying?! I just think of him as a little brother, that's all!"

"Wow, as a little brother? You two must have some good chemistry to be this close to each other!"

" _ **Like – I - said**_ , there's nothing between us - "

Kyouko paused as several shadows fell across her face; looking up the path, the group saw several large silhouettes, blocking out the startled rays of the sun.

Turning behind them, they spotted several others emerging from the shadows, their mouths twisted and malicious as they advanced on them.

Slowly their shadows grew longer and longer; and though the evening sun tried its best to shine a glimmer of hope into the alley, it was not long before the shadows pounced upon the group, and the sun saw them no more.

* * *

For the umpteenth time today, Yuuji checked the zeroing of his rifle. While it was mind-numbing work, it was a habit that he had cultivated, albeit at Asako's insistence. "No matter how skilled a sniper may be, he's only as good as the rifle that he's shooting." And thus, he had dutifully checked the zeroing of his rifle before each and every shooting.

While he had found it to be a pointless chore then, he now found himself silently thanking her for ingraining such a habit in him; now that he was busy running over the entirety of Kyoto, he found that his rifle tended to be a lot more inaccurate than usual. The errors was minute, to be sure; but when it came to sniping, every little error could well be the difference between a hit or a miss. And given the adversary he was up against, Yuuji couldn't afford any room for error.

Even now, Yuuji found it hard to comprehend the strength of the octopus called Korosensei. Originally, he had reasoned that while supersonic speed was impressive, as long as Korosensei was distracted it would be a much simpler task to snipe him. As such, he had approved of the plan laid out by Karasuma, entrusting the 3-E students to set up a distraction while he prepared to take the shot.

However, it was only after his first attempt to snipe him did Yuuji finally realize the full extent of Korosensei's abilities. Despite him having his back turned and being engrossed in conversation with his students, Korosensei had stopped – not even dodged, but _**stopped**_ – the bullet in mid-flight - and he had done it with nothing more than a soft, chewy pastry. In the mere fraction of time it had taken the rifle bullet to reach him, Korosensei had spun the pastry to reach speeds high enough to catch a supersonic bullet harmlessly.

Despite the staggering disparity in strength, Yuuji had not given up. How many times had he fallen, both in life as well as in his training, only to stand back up again? Yuuji refused to believe that there could be a creature that was invulnerable, who was above death; and thus, he had quashed his doubts and carried on with the mission. Yet, as each attempt had failed, taken apart effortlessly by the monster, the lingering doubts that Yuuji had repressed began to claw their way back to the surface.

Yuuji knew that it was normal for attempts on Korosensei's life to fall flat; Karasuma himself had briefed him on the countless times both assassins and government militaries alike had been thwarted. Yuuji, however, did not see himself as 'normal'; not because of arrogance or some inflated sense of importance, but because he simply wasn't.

Yuuji was I-9029; Ichigaya's – and by extension, the government's – ace in the hole. He had inherited this title from his master Asako, herself a living legend; they were the agents Ichigaya sent into the field when failure was not an option, and they had always delivered. Until now.

Inadvertently, Yuuji found himself thinking of what Asako would have done in this situation. Even when the vision in her right eye deteriorated due to an injury, Asako was still capable of beating Yuuji hands-down in sniping; now, Yuuji could not help but wonder if Asako would have been able to pull it off somehow. Perhaps she would have used the wooden houses as cover, shooting through the cracks in the walls to catch Korosensei by surprise. Ridiculous as it might seem, Yuuji could imagine her doing exactly that.

Just then a sudden beep echoed in the room, startling Yuuji out of his reverie. Reflexively checking his watch, Yuuji realized that it was still several minutes before the predetermined sniping. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that the beeping came not from his watch, but rather his phone; and there was only one person who might call him now.

"...What is it, Karasuma?"

"The sniping's been cancelled, Kazami; that's it for the day."

"What happened?"

"The group that was supposed to work with you was assaulted, and some of the students were kidnapped. The assassination will be put on hold until we get them back safely."

"Do you need any help?"

"It won't be necessary; you aren't involved in this, after all. Return to your hotel and standby for further instructions."

"Roger." Standing up, Yuuji gave his cramped legs a quick stretch, before swiftly disassembling his rifle and slipping it back into its case. A few minutes later, Yuuji was out on the street, blinking in the orange sunlight as he made his way back to the hotel.

* * *

 _ **Author's Notes (Just realized I forgot the title in Chapter 2...)**_

For those who aren't familiar with Grisaia, yes; that is pretty much how Yuuji interacts with his fellow Mihama students. If anything, I think I actually toned it down a little.

There are a lot more things I want to talk about, but I'll talk about it later at the end of Chapter 4; you'll see why later :)


	4. Chapter 4: Would You Kill To Save A Life

**Chapter 4**

 **Kyoto; in a quiet place out of the way**

They were in a bad spot, to say the least.

Arrayed in front of them were seven thugs: each around the age of a high schooler, all of whom were grinning menacingly. Behind the wall of thugs were Kayano and Kanzaki; in front of them stood Kyouko, clutching a flimsy wooden pole as she glared at the two thugs who hemmed them in. Without needing to look behind, Nagisa also knew that the entrance – and also the only exit – that they had came through earlier was now barred by several smugly grinning thugs.

...To put it bluntly, they were trapped. And everyone who was present knew it.

Turning jerkily, Sugino looked imploringly at Nagisa.

"N-Nagisa... You did tell Karasuma-sensei where we were, right? So Korosensei should be arriving soon...right?"

"Y-Yeah, I did..."

A bead of cold sweat ran silently down Nagisa's neck. Things weren't supposed to turn out like this.

When the kidnappers had snatched away Kayano, Kanzaki and Kyouko earlier, the remaining members of the group had initially been at a loss; being new to the area, they had no idea as to how they could track them down. Salvation had presented itself in the form of the guidebook Korosensei had created specifically for this trip; amidst pages filled with maps and descriptions of famous places, the group had found a full page detailing how to react 'if your group was assaulted.'

"... _ **Seriously**_?! Who actually puts something like that in a school trip guidebook?!"

Despite their initial skepticism, with the help of the guide (as well as the handmade maps Korosensei had drawn himself) the group had managed to narrow down the possible places that the kidnappers might be; through trial and error, the group were able to discover their hiding spot. Having confirmed that the kidnappers were not planning on moving anytime soon, the group had decided to message their teachers for help, and had chosen to silently observe the group in the meanwhile.

That was when several other thugs, some of which carried video cameras, had arrived. In growing horror, the group watched as the kidnappers, encouraged by the arrival of their comrades, began to make their moves on the hapless girls; and as their depraved intentions became terrifyingly apparent, the anxiety of the group had reached a boiling point.

...And thus, against their better judgement they had hurled themselves into the fray. And while the startled thugs had been caught off guard at first; once they realized that their opponents were heavily outnumbered, their bravado had swiftly returned.

Now, the tides of battle had turned against Nagisa's group. They had given their all; the three thugs who had borne the brunt of their surprise attack were still slumped in the corner, and many of those still standing were bruised in one way or another.

Yet, even with the help of the kidnapped girls, who had managed to free themselves from their bonds to join the melee, it was clear to the 3-E students that they had no hope of winning against the superior strength and numbers of the thugs.

All Nagisa and the rest could do now was to place their fate into the hands of Providence, and pray for the timely intervention of their teachers.

"...You kids sure have some guts, huh?"The head of the thugs gloated as he swaggered to the front. His eyes glittered sadistically as he looked down at the diminutive Nagisa, who met his gaze firmly. "Not bad; I sure didn't expect rich snobs like you Kunugigaoka snobs to actually have the balls to go up against us. But... "

His lips curled back, exposing his jagged teeth in a sneer.

"You shouldn't have crossed us; we had planned to let your friends go back unharmed after having some fun with them, but now..."

His eyes widened maniacally as he licked his bloodied lips in anticipation. "...Looks like someone's mother is gonna be crying tonight."

Silently, Nagisa braced for the coming storm. To his right, Karma balled his fists tightly, grinning in anticipation; to his left, Sugino gritted his teeth as he glanced at the terrified expression on Kanzaki's face. Behind Nagisa, Okuda was quivering like a leaf in a gale, yet despite her fear, the petite girl stood her ground.

"If only I was stronger..." Though the air was fraught with tension, Nagisa could not shove the all-too familiar thought out of his mind.

If he had been stronger, perhaps they could have avoided this. If he had been stronger, perhaps instead of watching helplessly as Karma tried – and failed – to fight off the thugs alone, he could have lent a hand to Karma; and perhaps none of them would have been kidnapped. Perhaps now they would have been attempting to lure Korosensei into a trap, and laughing it off as their teacher deflected the attempts on his life with ease.

...But Nagisa knew it was all nothing but a pipe dream – after all, he was not even strong enough to defy his own mother. He could only watch helplessly as she drove his life down the path that she had wanted her life to follow; followed silently as she molded him into the life she had so desperately wanted to have. For a person like him, who was not strong enough to seize the reins of his own life; what hope had he to change anything?

Silently, helplessly, he watched as the noose tightened; watched, as his classmates steadied themselves to fight a battle they knew they could not win; watched, as the leering face that scoffed at his weakness and helplessness drew closer and closer.

"...Hopefully it would be quick..." He thought.

* * *

"Ganging up to attack kids younger and smaller than you; I'm sure that you must be so proud of yourselves."

Ignoring the exclamations of surprise that followed his words, Yuuji's eyes swept across the room as he took in the situation, staring down each of the thugs in turn. Fighting back the urge to chuckle as the thugs withered under his glare, Yuuji coolly walked out of the doorway to stand in the center of the ring. The Kunugigaoka students stared dumbfoundedly at him as Yuuji stood in front of them, facing down the head of the kidnappers.

"W-Who the hell are you?! Are you their teacher?!"

The quiver in the thug's voice echoed in the silent room; in an empty display of bravado, he took a step towards Yuuji. "I don't care whether you're their teacher or not, but if you think you can stand up to us - "

"I promise you that if you drop everything and run, none of you will be hurt; don't fight a battle you can't win."

Yuuji's flat declaration sliced through the air, silencing the thug mid-speech. With a detached sense of amusement, Yuuji watched as the blood rushed to the thug's head; the veins on his head looked ready to explode.

". _ **..Don't look down on us, asshole!**_ "

With a roar of rage, the thug charged headfirst into Yuuji.

...It happened in an instant.

Swiftly, Yuuji slammed his knee into his stomach; then, he threw the thug onto the floor.

For a few seconds, the only sound that rang in the still room was the hacking of the thug as he vomited. And in that short span of time, Yuuji spotted an opening; and he moved in.

Before anyone could react, Yuuji was up in front of the stunned thugs. With deadly intent, he punched one of them in the stomach; knocking him off balance with a slight sweep of his leg, Yuuji snapped a kick at him, blowing him backwards into two of his comrades. Wood splintered and snapped as the three smashed into a pile of crates; a reverberating crash echoed as the three crumpled into a heap, planks raining heavily down onto the concrete floor.

Perhaps it was the crash of the crates, or the realization that they were in very real danger that moved them; galvanized, the remaining thugs surged forth with a cry.

Like a gale, Yuuji swept through the advancing thugs; each strike was flawlessly parried, each riposte brutal and after another the thugs toppled like freshly hewn timber, crashing to the ground as they cried out in pain.

Terrified by this force of nature, the surviving thugs faltered; only to be struck from behind as the 3-E students joined the fray. Lit by the rays of the sun the flailing mass of combatants were cast as shadows upon the wall; each dodge became a dance, each kick a twirl; and in the center of it all, was the muscled silhouette of Yuuji, sliding masterfully through the stage.

...And though the eyes of the spectating students jumped rapidly between each fighter, there was a certain pair that was fixated solely upon Yuuji.

Nagisa was , his eyes followed Yuuji's every move, watching each fluid strike and counter. Slowly, he became aware of his rapidly beating heart; excited not by physical exertion or adrenaline, but rather by the siren song that followed Yuuji's movements.

Somewhere inside himself, Nagisa felt a part of him recognize the subtle beauty of Yuuji's moves, and felt it yearning to replicate those very moves. His eyes widened in wonder as he saw himself, effortlessly sliding through the fray as his foes dropped around him; and, for a reason that he could not explain, he found it beautiful.

Suddenly, a deafening crash tore through the air.

Smashed out of his reverie, Nagisa awoke to find a vaguely human-shaped blob standing in front of him, under a freshly-opened hole in the roof. The rays of the evening sun descended about him, wrapping him in a halo of orange light. All movement halted as everyone turned to look at the creature that had brought light into the dark room.

"Sorry for being late, my students. Now then - "

An unsettlingly evil grin was stretched across his face as Korosensei turned to look at the battered thugs. " - Are there any bad children in need of a spanking?"

Korosensei's dramatic (albeit corny) appearance was the last straw. Terrified by the appearance of another adversary the thugs broke and ran, scrambling over each other as they raced for the exit. With the exception of a few – who were tripped up by Karma and sent tumbling to the floor as a parting gift – the thugs escaped without suffering further injuries, chased only by the looks of the 3-E students who were happy to see them go.

As the thugs vanished, so too did the tension in the air; with a sigh of relief the students clustered eagerly around their teacher.

"You're late, Korosensei! We thought you weren't going to turn up at all, you know!"

"Well~, sorry about that." Korosensei grinned sheepishly as he looked over each of his students in turn. "I ran into this stunningly beautiful woman in need of help on the way here; and as a man, there was no way I could leave her alone!"

"...You're nothing more than a filthy pig, aren't you Sensei?"

"Wha – H-How rude! And to think that I rushed here immediately after I was done... and this is the kind of gratitude that I receive..."

"Perhaps if you rushed here straight away instead of fooling around, we might be more thankful. Besides, all the work was done by him anyway - "

Suddenly realizing that they had overlooked an extremely important detail, the 3-E students turned to look at Yuuji, who was standing quietly in the corner. "...Come to think of it, who are you?"

Ignoring their questioning gaze, Yuuji walked forward, stopping in front of Korosensei. His cold, hard eyes peered at Korosensei, who cocked his head in confusion.

"...So, you're Korosensei... You're different when I look at you up close."

And before any of the students could process the implications behind his words, Yuuji whipped out something; a green flash that streaked through the air towards Korosensei -

...Who then appeared behind Yuuji, holding the very same item – a knife – through a napkin.

"I'm sure that you are a responsible, mature adult, Kazami-san; but even so, you shouldn't be playing with dangerous toys like these." With a flick of his wrist, Korosensei casually tossed the knife into a corner. The eyes of his stunned students followed the clattering knife; it was not a normal knife, but rather the kind designed specially to harm Korosensei. Whirling around to face Yuuji, Sugino spoke the question hanging over all of them.

"Who the hell are you?"

Yuuji let out a sigh of exasperation. "...Isn't it obvious? I'm the sniper that was assigned to your Kyoto trip."

Ignoring their surprised exclamations, Yuuji turned back to face Korosensei. "So? Are you going to kill me?"

"Why would I, Kazami-san? You helped protect my students, when I was not there for them; if anything, I should be thanking you instead. As a matter of fact..."

The grin across Korosensei's face widened as he smiled in a way that was, strangely enough, akin to the fond smiles he showered upon his own students.

"To express my gratitude, I would like to invite you to join us on our school trip! How does that sound to you, Kazami-san?"

Yuuji stared unblinkingly at the jiggly, vaguely human octopus before him as he processed his ludicrous invitation. "...You would invite a sniper, who was tasked to kill you, to join you on your school trip?"

"Why not? After all - " Korosensei extended his tentacles, patting each of his stupefied students gently on the head. " - My own students are trying to kill me, after all."

* * *

Night had fallen. Leaning quietly on the wooden railing, Yuuji gazed contemplatively out over the city, watching idly as tiny pinpricks of light flickered into existence amidst the shadowy silhouettes that made up the houses. While it was a common enough sight for the average city dweller, Yuuji nonetheless found it enchanting; having spent the bulk of his childhood first in a drug-addled haze, then in a remote forest with his master, Yuuji had few chances, if any, to witness this side of a each light lay a family: of people living together in an environment of warmth, sitting together around a table laden with home-cooked food; exchanging small talk about trivial topics, and finding pleasure in the simple companionship it offered.

"Perhaps if things had been different..." He mused.

Ordinarily, Yuuji was not one for contemplation; there was no point in dwelling on the past, when one could spend that effort to change the present.

And yet, even he too could not help but wonder as to whether his life could have been different. Perhaps if his sister had not died, and his family fallen apart, perhaps if he had not been 'adopted' by an internationally-wanted terrorist, perhaps if he had never killed a man; perhaps then he might now be a part of one of those tiny circles of light, living in blissful ignorance with his hands unstained.

"Erm... Am I interrupting?"

Yuuji turned to find a petite – no, a slight boy standing awkwardly behind him. Turning over his face in his mind, Yuuji finally remembered his name.

"...You're Shiota Nagisa, correct? Do you need something?"

"Ah, no... It's just that it was getting a little chaotic inside, so I came out."

The 'chaos' he referred to was the exact same reason why Yuuji was now standing outside on the balcony. Apparently, Korosensei had ticked off everyone in the class; the net result was that both the male and female students were now furiously hunting him down, driving Yuuji to take refuge outside to escape the din they were making.

"Um... I want to thank you for your help this afternoon. It would have gotten really messy if you weren't there."

"Don't think too much about it; it was just coincidental."

Truly enough, Yuuji had stumbled across the place by sheer chance, having opted to take a different route back to his hotel than planned. The sight of an unmarked and unattended van beside an derelict building - in an otherwise quiet neighborhood - had raised his suspicions. Acting on his hunch, Yuuji had gone in for a closer look, only to stumble upon the 3-E students."Come to think of it, I'm surprised that you aren't trying to help your classmates; don't you want to kill him as well?"

"Well yes, but... It's not like Korosensei will let himself be killed so easily."

Yuuji couldn't argue with that. Turning back to look over the city silently, Yuuji was faintly aware of the young boy behind him shuffling awkwardly. Suddenly, he spoke out.

"Kazami-san, if you don't mind...Could you teach me anything? Like how we could kill Korosensei."

"Hmm... I don't have any reliable ideas on how to kill that octopus, so I'll pass. In the first place, I'm not an assassin; my master raised me to be a soldier, rather than an assassin."

Looking at him, Yuuji saw the dejection in Nagisa's face. "… I suppose I could teach you how to defend yourself, if you want."

Immediately, Nagisa's face lightened up as he nodded in agreement.

* * *

The two found themselves an unused room; they could still hear the muffled sounds of angry shouting and curses from the rest of the 3-E students, but at least it was no longer at an overbearing volume. Armed with a rubbery anti-Korosensei knife, Yuuji calmly faced down the similarly armed Nagisa.

"Well then, show me what you know first."

Nodding, Nagisa advanced on Yuuji. Exchanging blows, Yuuji swiftly learnt that the younger boy was actually a lot better than he had expected; he was fast and nimble, with good reflexes. It was no doubt due to the training he received under Karasuma; he was a much better fighter than the average person, with the only area that he was lacking in being physical strength.

"You aren't bad, but you lack raw strength; though, given your size that isn't something that can be helped. If you cannot overpower your opponent, you must outwit them. Distract them, then strike. Create an opening, then go in and take them down."

Nodding at his instructions, Nagisa began his new plan of attack; feinting in multiple directions, before moving in. Various grapples and techniques; no doubt also taught by Karasuma, were executed, with surprising proficiency. He had a good eye for spotting openings, and was skilled at creating them. Yet as an experienced fighter, Yuuji countered all his moves -

 _ **"HEY! DAMN OCTOPUS, I'M GOING TO STEAM YOU FOR DINNER!"**_

Jerking his head slightly towards the unseen source, Yuuji let out a silent chuckle -

...Suddenly, Nagisa was gone.

A primal instinct screamed at Yuuji; the same instinct that had screamed at him to take cover during his stint as an American soldier, in the midst of a warzone. Almost immediately, he felt a bullet approaching from his back -

Lashing out, he struck Nagisa; instinctively, he threw the boy onto the floor with a crash.

"O-Ow..."

Snapping back to his senses, Yuuji realized what he had done; hurriedly, he knelt down beside Nagisa. "Are you all right?"

"Y-Yeah... Just surprised."

Yuuji struggled to process what had just happened.

He had been approached unexpectedly before; back at Mihama, Makina had jumped onto his defenseless back several times, and Yumiko had - at first - attempted to stab him several times from behind with a pen knife.

However, he had never felt such an intense threat to his life before, ever since he returned from his stint in America. A sense of disquiet rose in Yuuji as he realized that the moment he was distracted, Nagisa noticed it; using it as an opening, he had slipped around to his blind spot in the flash of an eye. This went far, far beyond a 'good eye' , or even skill.

...This was talent. A talent for spotting when someone's guard was down, and striking instantly.

This... was a talent for assassination.

Noticing the trepidation in Yuuji's eyes, Nagisa looked uncertainly at him. "...Is something wrong?"

Looking around, Yuuji spotted a vending machine just outside the room. Heaving a sigh, he dropped his knife.

"...Let's get something to drink."

* * *

A few minutes later, the two were back out on the balcony. Nagisa peered curiously at Yuuji, who drank in silence as he looked out over the city and contemplated.

A part of Yuuji wanted to believe that he was overreacting, but his experience in the line of taking lives told him otherwise. And now that he had glimpsed at the potential that Nagisa possessed, he could no longer bring himself to teach him anything. Even self-defense techniques, when employed with killing intent, could easily kill. Did he have the right to teach this child anything that he could use to take lives with in the future, especially since Nagisa had a talent for doing so?

And yet, was it right not to teach him anything? Yuuji had seen with his own eyes the kind of evils that the world contained; he himself had been a part of it once. And now that he knew that the world was by no means the peaceful, harmonious world he had envisioned it to be as a child, should he not teach Nagisa something that may come to save his life in the future? Especially since he was a part of 3-E, a part of a class assigned to assassinate a monster threatening to destroy the world; if teaching him could play a part in protecting the world, should he not be compelled to do what he could?

"...Nagisa." The boy looked up at him, a confused look on his face.

"...Have you ever wanted to kill a person?"

"Huh? No, I don't think so; there were times I was angry at someone, but I don't think that I would want to kill them...Why?"

"...As of now, you are an assassin, Nagisa. Now, we teach you how to kill, because we must; because we need your help in killing Korosensei. But..."

Turning to face Nagisa, Yuuji stared deeply into his eyes. "What happens after that, Nagisa? What will you do then with that knowledge? It will not disappear once Korosensei is dead; if you were to face a person who angered you enough to want to kill them, would you?"

Watching the younger boy struggle to come up with an answer, Yuuji continued.

"I was still a child when I killed my first person; my father." Looking past Nagisa's stunned expression, Yuuji saw the past; a motionless corpse lying in a pool of blood, a shattered and bloody bottle clutched in Yuuji's own trembling hands.

"He had abused my mother and I; we ran away, but one day he tracked us down and tried to rape my mother. We fought...and then I killed him."

"I believe I did it in self-defense, but now; I don't believe that it was the best option then. When I realized I had killed him, something inside me... broke. Killing wasn't some distant idea, some theory that would never be used; it became an action. From that day onward, it became a possibility, an option, to deal with problems. That... was when I began to kill more people."

"Today, you learn how to kill a superhuman octopus. Karasuma teaches you because he must, because the world needs your class to. And I do not want to question his teachings, seeing as how I know nothing of it. But I will not teach you anything else, about how to harm or kill humans specifically. That... is not something that you need to know. Not yet; and I hope that you will never need to."

Looking into Nagisa's clear blue eyes, Yuuji could not help but smile a little.

"You are still innocent; that's something that is worth holding on to. Don't be so quick to throw it away."

A heavy silence fell between the two.

Looking away awkwardly, Yuuji realized the clamoring din of voices from within had died down; presumably the exhausted students were done with chasing Korosensei. Nagisa, seemingly realizing this as well, took a step back.

"I-I think the rest are done now...so... I'll head back first."

Turning about, Nagisa paused on the doorway; hesitating momentarily, he turned back to Yuuji with a surprisingly warm smile.

"Thank you, Kazami-san, for everything. I'll keep your words in mind."

And then he was gone.

Sighing, Yuuji leaned back on the railing.

It was not like him to reveal so much about his life to a stranger; the Yuuji of the past would have scoffed at this.

...And yet, Yuuji felt not a single hint of regret over his actions. He had changed indeed, ever since his days in the remote mountain cabin with his master.

Looking up into the starry sky, Yuuji blinked at the numerous specks of light dotting the pitch black sky. Was Asako up there somewhere, looking down at him? What would she think of his actions? Would she smile in approval; or shake her head?

"One man, ten lives." He mused.

Asako had taught him this; that a soldier was not allowed to die until they had saved ten lives. "But as you're a half-baked squirt, I'll cut you a discount; five lives!" Yuuji couldn't help but smile as he recalled Asako's words.

"...Have I... saved someone today, Asako?"

* * *

 _ **Author's Notes**_

And it's done. Finally. Originally, I had planned for Chapter 3 and 4 to be together, but after seeing as to how it hit 7500 words, I decided to split it up to make reading easier. In hindsight, I should have done this from the start; perhaps I would have had more people reading it now :)

I think the most controversial part here was the conversation between Yuuji and Nagisa. I spent quite a bit of time thinking up how the two would interact; seeing as to how Nagisa is a born assassin and Yuuji is a trained soldier who's killed plenty. The point of contention here was whether Yuuji would actually condone killing, and teach Nagisa something he might use to kill with.

Those familiar with Grisaia might know that Asako allowed Yuuji to kill people; but to me I think it was something that couldn't be helped. Yuuji had come from a bloody past, and had killed several people already; it didn't make sense to tell him 'okay, you don't need to kill anymore; go live a normal life.' After everything that happened, I don't think Yuuji would have been able to accept a normal life so easily. Asako did her best to re-integrate him into society by leading him to lead a life where; at the very least, he wouldn't be hurting innocents.

In this case, however, Nagisa never went through all that suffering that Yuuji did; at the very least, he was able to lead a relatively normal school life and a still-okay childhood, unlike Yuuji who spent his childhood as a child soldier. Looking at this, it became hard for me to see the character of Yuuji as one who would readily teach another how to kill, especially if said student had a talent for it. Unlike Yuuji, Nagisa had a chance to live a normal life without needing to know how to kill; that, coupled with the fact that Yuuji has grown tired of killing; made me feel that if the two were ever to actually meet, he most likely wouldn't raise him to be an assassin. Sorry to all those who wanted to see a superpowered Nagisa :)

 _ **So what's up next?**_ Well, 3-E will be getting 3 new students (in theory at least; there's only two who are actually students for now), though I'll only focus on one; take a guess as to who it is :)

Also, I think it's time for Homura to work some magic (pun not intended); she probably won't be breaking out just yet, but work will be underway.

Thanks for the support so far! Hope you enjoyed reading this crazy crossover of mine. Now to Chapter 5! (Hopefully it'll be shorter...)


	5. Chapter 5: In the Wake of the Hurricane

**Chapter 5**

Homura studied the swirling mass of darkness in front of her. Raising her hand, she attempted to touch it. As her hand neared the twisting shadows, they coalesced into a solid wall that halted any further movement. Walking about her prison, Homura continued to trace the wall methodically with her hand as she searched for a weakness. The shifting walls of her prison continually defied her, but Homura never relented; and eventually she found a spot that seemed to be softer than the rest. Pressing upon it, Homura smiled in satisfaction as she felt it give way slightly.

Pulling out a red gem from her pocket, Homura studied it one last time. In this single gem she had sowed all the power she had been silently accumulating since her first failed attempt. Now, it glowed with power, a glow that shone bravely amidst the darkness of her cage.

In the time that Homura had been imprisoned, she could sense her imprisoner strengthening his grip upon the world, and with his increasing power anxiety had rose up in her. She needed to take action fast.

...And if this attempt of hers failed again, by the time she was ready for another it might already be too late.

Pressing her finger onto the weak point, Homura began to concentrate what was left of her strength. Slowly, a small hole opened in the wall.

Almost as if sentient, the wall seemed to sense her desperation; the wall pressed down on the small hole, seeking to slam it shut. Gritting her teeth, Homura could feel her limbs becoming numb as she poured all the strength she had into widening the hole; her body began to tremble uncontrollably as she painstaking forced the resisting walls apart. Quivering in a silent groan, the wall receded, bit by bit and bit; until finally, it seemed to go no further.

With a final gasp, Homura forced the red gem through the hole, pushing it out into the world beyond.

Collapsing onto the floor, Homura was faintly aware of the hole immediately resealing itself. Drained of her strength, all Homura could do now was to hope that this attempt would succeed.

...And for once in her life, Homura prayed.

* * *

 **Kunugigaoka Junior High, Classroom of 3-E**

It was hot. Oppressively, intensely hot.

May had come and gone, and along with it had went the final, balmy winds of spring. Now, summer gripped the land in its scorching heat. And for the 3-E students who (unlike the other students) had no access to air-conditioning, the sweltering weather banished any and all attempts to study. Though it was currently a self-study session, few - if any - of the students had the spirit to do anything except laze on their desks, fanning themselves desperately.

Hearing a moan beside him, Nagisa turned to look at Kyouko. She was slouching down her chair, with her tie undone and the top of her blouse hanging loosely; the way her tongue lolled out reminded Nagisa of a gasping fish out of water, left to bake in the sun.

"You're not good with hot weather are you, Sakura-san?"

"...It's this damn uniform... Covers up too damn much..." Groaning, she leaned forward onto the cool desk. "...Come to think of it, I don't even know why we still need to wear the school uniform; it's not like they give a damn about us, after all."

"W-Well... I'm sure Korosensei had his reasons..."

"It's probably just some crappy reason like 'instilling school spirit' or 'building character' anyway... Where is he today, anyway? Don't tell me he's busy chilling in a pool somewhere."

Though Nagisa was certain that was definitely not the reason behind Korosensei's absence, he couldn't help but agree that it was strange. The self-study session had not been planned; earlier in the day Korosensei had informed them that he would be indisposed for a short while.

The abruptness of it all, coupled with the fact that Karasuma and Bitch-sensei were both missing, led many of the 3-E students to suspect that this was part of another attempt by the government on Korosensei's life.

Worriedly, Nagisa glanced at the back of the room, where a black, mechanical box stood. Immediately after their return from Kyoto, the class received two new transfer students; both of whom were assassins in disguise. The first, an intelligent AI-operated artillery platform, had repeatedly interrupted the class lessons' to attack Korosensei, dashing any hopes of being able to peacefully settle down for lessons.

It was only after considerable effort on Korosensei's part did the robot, now christened 'Ritsu', laid back on the unceasing attacks. Now, she acted no differently from the rest of the students; even now, the image projected by the screen chatted animatedly with the nearby students.

However, Ritsu had managed to do something none of them had; she had managed to land successive hits on an alert Korosensei, a feat that left the class stunned.

The second student had caused an even greater uproar than Ritsu had. A young boy called Itona, he possessed the same kind of tentacles that Korosensei had. Together with his mysterious handler, the duo had challenged Korosensei to an open fight – and almost killed him. For the first time, the shell-shocked class watched as their seemingly infallible teacher struggled, gasping as they witnessed him being brought to his knees. And though Itona had ultimately lost and left, the impact that he had left was not so easily dispelled.

For the first time since they had first met him, the class realized that Korosensei, while powerful, was nevertheless mortal; and that outside of 3-E there were others who could match - and possibly - even kill him. Itona's arrival had shattered the illusion of immortality about Korosensei; and now, whenever he vanished the class could not help but wonder if he would return.

Ignoring the groaning Kyouko, Nagisa gazed discomfortably out of the window. Where was their teacher now?

* * *

Exiting the principal's office, Fenag let out a heavy sigh. With leaden feet, he walked down the corridor to the stairs. Spiteful glances and whispers followed him as he dragged his feet down the stairs; no doubt from those who resented his acts during the previous school assembly. However, every now and then in between the malicious gazes he heard an exclamation of surprise; no doubt at the curious trio of teachers beside him. Stopping at the stairs, Korosensei turned to look at him kindly.

"Are you sure you don't wish to drop by your class one last time, Fenag-san?"

"...It's fine; I'm not close with them anyway." This was actually rather true; Fenag held no love for his fellow classmates who, to the veteran archer, were shallow and simple-minded.

In retrospect, Fenag couldn't help feel that he should have seen this coming. Openly defying the student council during the last school assembly had placed him at odds not just with the students, but the teachers of the school as well. Coupled with his bad grades - which, in his own opinion, really couldn't be helped – and it only made sense that the teachers would want to toss a troublemaker like him into 3-E.

To tell the truth, Fenag himself didn't really give much of a damn what they did. Spiteful pranks like this didn't really affect the archer who was used to life-or-death situations back in the Maple World; he knew his own worth, and believed in his own strength. What did gnaw at him, however, was the fact that the transfer student whose place he was taking for now was doomed to be a student of 3-E upon his return, for a crime he had never committed.

Remembering Erwin's words back in the art room, Fenag imagined what would Erwin have done if he had been in his shoes. No doubt he now would be running amok and wreaking havoc, sparing no regard for the mess he would be creating since it wouldn't affect him one bit in the end. And though it was a tempting thought, Fenag couldn't bring himself to be as callous as Erwin. He needed to get out of 3-E; as of now, that was his main priority.

...That being said, there were some things he simply had to confirm first.

"Let me just get this straight one last time." Pausing at the shoddy track up to the 3-E classroom, Fenag turned to look at the three teachers with him. "In other words... I have to kill this guy?" He jerked a thumb at the fleshy mass called Korosensei.

The two human teachers nodded. "I understand that it may sound strange, but it is as we explained earlier; 3-E is assigned the task of killing this octopus. Now that you are a part of 3-E, I'm afraid that you must do so as well."

Having removed his disguise, Korosensei waved his yellow tentacles excitedly. "It's a pleasure to be your teacher, Fenag-san! I hope we get along well!"

"...This is a joke, right?" The solemn expressions of the other two teachers told Fenag otherwise.

"...Okay, so... If I kill this guy, I get 50 billion, right?"

"If you can, yes."

Fenag had only been on this world for a short while, but even he knew 50 billion was a lot. If he could pull it off, returning back to his class in the main campus should not be much of an issue. Curiosity rose in him as he wondered how strong Korosensei must be to have such a large bounty on his head; and though prudence warned against it, the veteran archer could not resist a challenge.

"...Karasuma and Irina, could the two of you go on ahead first?" At this, the two teachers looked at each other, surprised.

"...You've not going to try to kill him now, right? He can move at speeds up to Mach 20, you know - "

"I'm just curious, that's all. Don't worry too much."

"...It's alright, Karasuma-sensei." Korosensei smiled reassuringly. "I would welcome any attempt on my life, especially one from my own students."

"...Well, if that's the case..."

Bemused, the two teachers headed up the track, vanishing from sight.

" _ **Hey!**_ Fenag!" Turning, Fenag saw the diminutive figure of Erwin hiding in the grass. "You're not going to really try to kill him, right?"

"Well, it sounds fun; might be a good experience. It could get me out of 3-E too."

"Are you _**serious**_?!" Erwin hissed anxiously. "No one on this world is supposed to know that you can use magic, you know! If Master Grendel hears of this - "

" - As long as you don't tell him, it'll be fine. If you _**do**_ , then I'll tell him about how you went around in your dog form, sniffing up the skirts of girls. Lily is bound to throw a fit at that." Ignoring the whimpering dog, Fenag turned to face the still-smiling octopus.

"I don't get one thing; why did you agree to stay here? If you went into hiding, you wouldn't have to worry about being killed."

"Well, that's certainly true, but I did make a promise; I would be a bad teacher if I broke my promises that easily, wouldn't I? Besides, there's no fun in hiding."

"...You made a promise, huh... Then, can you promise me that whatever happens here doesn't get out?"

Korosensei nodded his head reassuringly. "Have no fear, Fenag-san! I am an excellent keeper of secrets!"

"Well then..." Ignoring the soft voice hissing at him, Fenag sat his bag down on the ground. Korosensei cocked his head curiously as Fenag began pulling his bow and armor out of his small bag.

"...How did you manage to fit all that in there?"

"Magic."

"I see, magic...Wait, _**what**_?!"

Fenag couldn't help but chuckle as he watched the octopus start in surprise, waving his tentacles in shock. "Y-You're not serious, are you?" Korosensei stammered.

"Well, put it this way; you're a superhuman octopus flying at Mach 20 speeds - " Fully equipped, Fenag turned back to face the stunned Korosensei. " - When you look at it that way, is it that surprising that magic exists?"

"Urgh..."

Calmly, Fenag evaluated the octopus before him; Korosensei had taken a defensive stance, with worry in his eyes. "Was he actually that scared?" Fenag mused. He had thought that an octopus who had easily brushed off multiple attempts on his life might show a little more complacency, which might have made things easier.

...But if he was going to make things harder, that would only make things more interesting.

* * *

Lily sighed as she climbed up the mountain. Erwin had called her over; no doubt to ask for her help again in cleaning up some mess he had created. She cursed at the injustice of it all; first, she had been roped into helping with the portal her brother was foolish enough to create; now, she was running all over a different world - in a form she absolutely detested - helping to clean up his mess. Lily wistfully thought back to the tranquil days she had spent at the Ellinia Academy where she passed her days peacefully researching the finer points of manipulation magic, far from the antics of her brother.

A sudden explosion tore through the air, tearing her from her reverie. Realizing that this time something was very off, she hurried up to find a distressed Erwin practically hopping from side to side in terror.

"What is it this time, Erwin?"

"Look! Just _ **– Look**_!"

Confused, Lily turned to the clearing; only to realize that it wasn't exactly one.

Toppled trees littered what had once been a lush patch of forest, some still smoking furiously. A screech tore through the air, prompting her to look upwards; a blazing phoenix dived through the air, chasing what seemed to be a yellow blur. From a magical turret stationed nearby, arrows were raining down upon the clearing, limiting the movements of the yellow blur. In the midst of it all was the unmistakable figure of Fenag; dragged by multiple grappling hooks he was shooting about the clearing, all while firing flaming arrows at the yellow blur. Ruby fireworks colored the sky as the arrows exploded, prompting a series of squeals from the yellow blur who desperately moved to evade them.

"... _ **Wow**_."

" _ **Is this any time to be amazed?!**_ Do something about this!"

"Why me? Didn't you do anything?"

"I tried! You're a girl; maybe you can get him to listen to you!"

"...What do you take me for, Erwin? Besides, it's not like anything we do now can cover this up, right?"

"Are you _**serious**_?! You're just going to let this continue?!"

"...Well, if you feel like interrupting a fight between a Bowman and a superpowered octopus, you may help yourself; me, I'm just going to enjoy this." Saying that, Lily turned back to watch the fray.

Down in the clearing, Fenag was aware that Lily had come; however, the archer was too busy to pay any heed to her presence. Even with the turret and phoenix checking Korosensei's movements, it was taking Fenag all his concentration just to be able to follow his movements. Left; right; up; down; Korosensei darted about the clearing at staggering speeds, changing directions faster than Fenag could react to. And though Korosensei squawked as the burning cinders from the exploding arrows rained upon him, Fenag knew that he had no hope of winning without a decisive hit onto Korosensei himself; something that he currently could not do.

Unless he tried that – perhaps instead of being accurate, all he had to do was shoot.

Turning it over in his mind, Fenag considered whether it would work. He had seen the more skilled archers use it, and understood the theory behind it, but his teacher had not actually taught it to him yet. There was no telling if it would backfire, but...

It was a skill he would eventually learn, anyway; no harm in trying it out now.

Taking up position at the edge of the clearing, Fenag eyed the whizzing yellow blur. Steadily he drew his bow, focusing energy into it; more than he had ever done. A gust began to gather at his feet, kicking up leaves in a swirling storm about him. At the rustling the two spectators froze, their eyes widening in shock as they watched his stance.

"Hey, that's... That's the _**Hurricane**_ stance, right? Isn't that a 4th Job Skill?"

"It is..." Stunned, Lily could only blink in surprise. "...Isn't Fenag only at his 3rd Job?"

As realization dawned upon the two, Lily shook herself out of her daze.

"We need to stop him; he'll burn out at this rate - "

Her words were lost when a sudden gale buffeted them, knocking the two to the ground. Forcing their heads up, they saw the very air around them being sucked into the clearing, drawn into the swirling column of air that formed around Fenag; debris flew past them, vanishing into the roaring wind. Korosensei stared in amazement as a tornado began to spin into existence in front of him, with the archer at its eye.

Gritting his teeth, Fenag ignored the sweat pouring down his forehead; focusing all his strength, he gathered the summoned wind into his arrow. A part of him registered that his bow was trembling like a leaf in a storm, but he ignored it.

"...Just...a bit... more..."

He could feel his bow rapidly heating up as he forcefully crammed energy into in; blocking out the raw heat scorching his hands, he focused on the howl of the wind. Listening to its screams, he felt the balance thinning and fraying; then, he felt it hit a tip, poised precariously on the pivot.

" _ **Now**_!"

With a jerk, he released the bowstring. The arrow shot out, tipping the scale; instantly, the swirling wind rushed forth, following the arrow.

Energy crackled along the wind, transforming it into arrows; every single gasp of air was filled with a hail of serrated death.

With a roar, the ripping wind descended on the stunned Korosensei, innumerable arrows in its wake.

And this time, there was no space to dodge to -

Suddenly, a blast sundered the air.

* * *

Thrown backwards by the force, Fenag smashed into the muddy ground. Coughing, he raised his heavy body with unsteady hands. A sharp pain cried out in his left shoulder; looking at it, he saw that the shoulder plate had been smashed in, and blood was freely oozing out of a gash. Fenag couldn't clearly tell how bad the wound was, but experience told him it wasn't fatal, at least; besides, he had other things to worry about now. Looking up, Fenag felt his heart twist in agony.

...His bow...it lay shattered before him; its sleek red body broken into warped fragments.

His bow had followed him ever since he was commissioned as a full-fledged Bowman; delving into dark, chaotic dungeons; prowling through forests teeming with beasts; charging bravely alongside him into the thick of hostile monsters; it would sit with him beside glowing campfires every night, where he would not fail to give it a good rub of protective vanish and a fresh touch of paint.

...And now; now, it was dead.

"Are you... are you alright, Fenag-san?"

Wheezing, the figure of Korosensei broke through the cloud of dust hanging over the clearing. As he loomed close, Fenag could see him pulling several arrows out of him; though each left a wound, it took only moments for each wound to close.

"...I'm... alright." A stray tear fell as Fenag shakily began to gather up the pieces of his bow.

"...I guess, I lost this one, huh?"

Words failed Korosensei as he watched the bleeding archer painfully picking up the fragments using his wounded arm. Realizing how any consolation now would ring hollow, he simply bowed his head as he stood there in solemn silence.

The hush endured as the two, each in their own way, paid their respects; until the pattering of the two shape-shifting magicians interrupted their impromptu vigil.

Stupefied, Erwin turned admonishingly to Fenag. "See? I told you that it was a bad - "

A single, hard glare from Lily shut him up instantly. Turning back to Fenag, she addressed him softly.

"...We should head back to the Maple World; your wound needs to be looked at. There... should also be someone who can fix your bow while we're there."

Though he saw straight through her words, Fenag couldn't help but give her a small smile. "...Yeah, maybe." Staggering to his feet, he finally managed to look Korosensei in the eye, giving his opponent a slight smile.

"...Sorry about this Korosensei, but I'll have to ask you to excuse me for a few days."

"Do you need any help?"

"It's alright; I'll make it on my own."

"Very well. Don't worry; I'll explain this situation to your classmates. In the meantime, do have a good rest."

"I' will, thank you."

Flanked by Erwin and Lily, Fenag began to hobble down the hill. The wind blew, scattering the leaves that had been sucked in just moments ago. Shadows flickered at the edge of the clearing as limbs shook and moved -

" _ **\- Who's there!**_ "

With his uninjured arm, Fenag conjured the burning phoenix; screeching, it dived into the rustling overgrowth. Crackling and hisses issued out of the vegetation; suddenly, an unearthly shriek split the air.

Bursting out of the woods, the phoenix carried something white in its claws; proudly, it deposited its smoking prey before Fenag.

...It was... a skeleton. And not just an ordinary skeleton; but a skeleton from the Maple World.

In its bony fingers was gripped a sharp gladius; and upon its skull it wore a spiked helmet, the kind of which the Maplers were only all too familiar with.

"...That's... one of _**Hilla's**_...right?"

"...But..." Lily shook her head desperately. "There were Cygnus Knights watching the portal; how would she have managed to sneak through them?"

Mortified, the three could only stare at the skeleton; horror slowly grew in the trio as they realized the implications this had; for both Maple and this world.

"We need to get back to the Maple World, _**now**_ – Queen Cygnus needs to know of this."

Turning to the confused Korosensei, Fenag could only hope that, whatever the ability he had used to shrug off the magical arrows, it would continue to protect him; even against the sorcery of a far greater - and darker - power.

"...Take care of yourself."

And on that final, wary note, the three vanished down the hill.

* * *

 _ **Author's Notes**_

Was planning on posting this yesterday, but some strange error cropped up. Oh well .

Seeing as how the previous chapters gave quite a few layers to the main characters except our little Bowman, I thought to give him more time this chapter. Chapter 2 did shed some light on him (I hope), so I decided to develop his character in greater detail this time.

I had thought to talk more about Homura and the results of her action; but I've decided to limit each chapter to ~4000 words; I've had enough of incredibly long text walls, and I'm sure you guys are too. (even 4000 seems like a lot, though)

 _ **So what's next?**_ Well, as mentioned I'll follow up on the consequences of Homura's actions; the magical girls are going to be getting quite some screentime, which I predict will take up most, if not all of the chapter. Need to be spreading the love around, after all. We'll also start delving into how exactly did this huge jumble of worlds come about in the first place, so don't expect much action in the next chapter. Don't worry; I promise to the best of my ability that it won't be boring :)

Well then; Chapter 6, here we come!


	6. Chapter 6: Truth, Lies, and Memories

**Note: this chapter is quite spoiler heavy with regards to PMMM's Rebellion; so if you haven't watched the movie (for whatever reason) I really advise you not to read further (late as this warning is)**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 6**_

"Geez, that octopus sure is a slave driver..."

A wave of heat slapped her as a mischievous ray of light shone defiantly into Kyouko's face, which did nothing to improve her mood.

With the end-of-term finals looming close, Korosensei had ramped up the intensity of their lessons. It was bad enough for Kyouko that she was having trouble simply staying awake in the blistering heat of the classroom during lessons; it also certainly didn't help that she had been singled out by Korosensei for "special lessons". Having improved greatly in the previous midterms (largely thanks to Mami's tutoring), Korosensei believed that Kyouko had what it took to ace the coming exams; and was now giving her intense tutoring to 'bring out her potential'.

"...Well, at least you can't deny that his way works..."

As much as she hated to admit it, Korosensei had succeeded in breathing life into the 3-E students, who had improved so much that Kyouko found it hard to believe that it was the same class; the same students that she had met when she first transferred in. Gone was the defeatist lethargy that hung over the class; now, a bubbly enthusiasm infused the air as the students talked excitedly about their dreams, and how they would realise them.

And as much as Kyouko would moan and complain about the increasingly large stacks of worksheets that he had them solve, like the rest she too would settle down to crunch through them; for his actions proved - without a shadow of doubt - that he was an excellent teacher, whose way of teaching did bring about results.

"...5th October is still some ways off, but maybe we could do something after the exams... Or perhaps waiting till October would be a better idea..."

A thought struck her suddenly, stopping her dead.

It was now only a few more days to July; and from there, the class would only have eight more months till March next year. In the midst of everything that had happened, Kyouko had forgotten the very circumstances that had brought their teacher to 3-E.

And yet, after everything that she had seen Kyouko could no longer bring herself to believe it. Why would he put so much effort into helping the students 3-E if he was just going to destroy it all at the end? For good karma? As a way to pass the time? A self-imposed challenge to test his own abilities? None of it made sense to her; by staying with 3-E, his life was in very real danger. Ritsu and Itona had proven it beyond any shadow of doubt; and as long as he stayed with 3-E, there would be no end of further assassinations.

And as much as Kyouko racked her brains, she could find only one reason for Korosensei's actions; but... It was so incredulous, so unbelievable, that she simply could not accept it; it made no sense at all. Realising she had arrived at her destination, Kyouko looked up at the windows of her – or rather, Sayaka's – home.

"...That's strange... she isn't home? Madoka said she had already headed home though..."

Shrugging, Kyouko pushed open the wooden door; slipping off her shoes, she slipped her shoes into her slot in the shoe rack. Just then, she noticed the white corner of a note sticking out under the vase above.

"I'll be heading out for a bit; help yourself to the fridge..."

The wooden floor felt warm beneath her toes; and yet, Kyouko couldn't help but feel a little cold. The two of them were the only ones living in the house; Sayaka's parents were living elsewhere due to their work. And though it was nice having the whole house to the two of them, Kyouko hated how quiet it could get at times; especially when Sayaka wasn't home.

"Geez, what's with her anyway... She just keeps disappearing nowadays, and never says why... Unless..."

A slow grin spread over her face as she considered the possible reasons (only one, actually) why Sayaka would keep disappearing, and be evasive when questioned. It was _that_ , of course; no doubt about it.

Making a mental note to question Madoka whether Sayaka was hanging out with any boys lately, Kyouko skipped merrily up the stairs, humming happily.

"Time to take a bath, and then start the investigation - "

Pushing open the door to her room, Kyouko froze dead in her step; her eyes pulled towards a single item.

...A red gem, twinkling silently on her desk.

"Is that...mine?"

Kyouko did not recognize it; and yet, somehow, she knew that it belonged to her.

She was faintly aware that her hands were trembling uncontrollably, and her breathing ragged; but any attempt to control herself was in vain. As if her body had been hijacked, she moved jerkily towards the glittering gem.

...Reaching out a quivering hand, Kyouko touched it.

* * *

The floor under her vanished.

Falling, she tumbled down, into a dark, shapeless space.

A windless gale pulled at her, tearing away the cloth; then the flesh; then the soul; she broke into fragments, spinning about inside the void. And as they spun, colour seemed to flood the once black void, spinning images into existence.

The fragments watched as dust filled a once-bustling church.

They watched as a young girl struck a deal with a devil to keep the church alive.

They watched as the church vanished in a blazing red, watched by the weeping girl.

They watched as the girl, clad in a red dress, would throw herself into battle against warped creations, over and over again; at times with allies, at times alone.

They watched as each time without fail, the girl would end up broken on the floor, lying in a ruby pool.

They watched as a young girl with black hair finally made a stand, taking upon herself to perform the ultimate sacrifice.

And as the fragments watched, the images spun themselves into a glittering thread. Guided by an invisible needle, it began to sow the fragments together; first soul; then flesh; then cloth.

As she began to take form again, she saw herself reflected in the glimmering fractals that wove her into existence; in each shard she saw herself walking, talking, fighting, dying; and as they became a part of her, the memories that they carried was imprinted firmly into her. Finally, she stood whole and complete; peering into the void, she could see a pair of eyes that would once have been unfamiliar – but was now all too clear to her.

Gasping, Kyouko awoke.

Everything made sense now. It felt as if she had just completed some cosmic jigsaw puzzle, and in doing so arrived at an understanding of life. Questions that had hovered hazily near the edge of her mind had come into sharp relief, and been answered beyond any doubt. Why was she living in Sayaka's house; why was it that their parents were conspicuously absent; why was it she had been close friends with Madoka and Sayaka despite such a large gap in personalities; why was it that they were close friends with Mami, a senior; at last, she understood why.

But with her newfound clarity came questions; who was Korosensei? Why was there now a monster teaching in a school? Who were the 3-E students?

...And most importantly of all; where was Homura?

Trembling, Kyouko dug about in her pocket for her phone. She needed answers; and though her memories had returned, there was still only one person she would turn to.

"...It's me, Mami. Can we meet up now?"

* * *

The moon hung silently in the dark sky. Coolly, it spread its glittering beams across the earth, coating the world in a soft glow of silver. Unfortunately, there was no one around to appreciate its efforts, barring two young girls walking briskly away from the lone bus stop at the edge of the city; and they were in no mood to stop and enjoy the scenery now.

"If I recall correctly, the last time something like this happened Homura and I took a bus to the outskirts of Mitakihara, trying to visit a town outside of it. Course, we didn't manage to get anywhere then; but if we're currently in a similar situation, the same thing should happen now."

"I hope you're right, Sakura-san. It's worth a shot, at least."

Kyouko still found it hard to believe how easily she had convinced Mami. Mami herself had admitted that she had been having misgivings about their situation for some time, after finding her own gem; but had, for some reason or another, had repeatedly forgotten to pursue the topic.

Perhaps if given more time, Mami could have regained her memories on her own; but Kyouko's description of her own memories had certainly sped up the process. Agreeing that something was very off about Homura's complete absence, the two girls decided to investigate her disappearance first.

To do that, they first had to understand the world they were now in; and thus they were now out on the road, following Kyouko's suggestion to test the walls that held them.

"Something doesn't seem right though; I mean, I just headed to Kyoto with the rest of 3-E. If we couldn't travel out of this city, that shouldn't have been possible."

"That's true..." Mami mused. "But it could have something to do with the reason why they are even here in the first place; I don't remember there ever being a Kunugigaoka Junior High where we came from, for that matter. Besides, we do need to find out what happened to Mitakihara, since this city certainly isn't it; at some point we'll have to leave the city anyway, I suppose."

Nodding silently, Kyouko followed Mami; the two strode in silence along the gravel path, their eyes constantly roaming as they watched their surroundings. Lights flickered, grass quivered, branches shook and the shadows groaned; unease settled upon them like a passing cloud that blocked out the light; but though their own shadows quaked and gibbered, the two still walked determinedly along the path.

"...Hey Mami, do you see that?"

Coming to a stop, the two squinted into the distance. The road continued on into the distance; yet, past a certain point the road itself seemed to ripple and fade into white. A shimmering haze hung over the road as the very air seemed to contort and warp upon itself, as if the space up ahead was simply some illusion, some mirage, invoked to conceal a void. Cautiously, the two girls edged closer to the border of the haze, their eyes darting about for any sign of danger; to their relief, nothing leapt out at them from the shadows, and the two approached the shimmering haze.

"This... is it, right?" Gingerly, Mami raised a hand to the haze. Ripples spread across the haze, like that which spread across a disturbed lake; almost instantly, as if she had spotted some mythical monster in its depths Mami quickly withdrew her hand.

"This barrier... It has a dangerous feel to it. Sakura-san, I believe you are better with barriers than me; could you take a look?"

"S-Sure." Stepping up, Kyouko placed a hand onto the barrier; and instantly realised what Mami had felt. It gave way easily under her hand - too easily, in fact. And though it seemed benign enough, an eerie energy pulsed through the barrier; extending her magic into the barrier, Kyouko caught a glimpse of a dark, swirling vortex; hidden within the folds of the barrier. A chill premonition struck her, and she quickly retreated before she disturbed it further.

"You're right... I think there's something inside it. I don't think we should try to enter recklessly; that thing's probably lying in wait for us."

"Do you have any idea how to pass it?"

Kyouko shook her head. "...If I could, I would have. I'm not confident that I can even make a barrier like this, let alone break it."

"...I see..."

Mami let out a sigh as she gazed at the barrier that obstructed them. "...It'll be tough for us to proceed if we can't handle this... We'll need to find a way to solve this."

""Actually... I have an idea. It's weird, but... If we can't break the barrier on our own, why not try asking around?"

Ignoring Mami's incredulous stare, Kyouko explained her idea. "There's a lot of different people around us; maybe some of them could help us with this."

"That's quite a big risk, Sakura-san. We don't even know if we can trust them to help us..."

"You're right, but..." The image of a yellow octopus and his stupid grin popped up in Kyouko's mind, and she couldn't help but smile herself.

"...I don't think they're all bad; besides, it can't hurt to have more allies."

Mami stared at Kyouko, her mouth agape; before breaking into a sudden chuckle.

"...You've really changed, Kyouko. I would never have expected you - of all people - to actually suggest teaming up with others."

"W-Well... You know... It's not really that bad, after all; to have people watching your back for you. It's good to want to do things yourself, but sometimes it's just better to team up, you know?"

"That much is true, yes... In any event, I guess we should head home for now; we're not going to get anywhere staying here - "

A soft, yet dark chittering filled the air; silencing any hope of an uneventful return.

Tensing up, the girls watched as the shadows that encircled them came to life; pulsing and seething, the shadows seemed to grow and solidify. One after another tiny darts of light sprung into existence, until the shadows teemed with tiny pinpricks of yellow light; much like that of a crowd of cheery fireflies, buzzing contentedly about wizened trees on a warm summer night.

...These lights, however, were not so innocent. Slowly they grew into slits, and the shadows rippled as jagged teeth and sharpened claws took form. Gaping maws of pitch black opened hungrily as they rose out of the shadows, and the two girls backed up against each other; as sheep might against a horde of wolves.

"...Mami... these... these aren't the familiars of a witch, right?"

"...I don't think so..."

The two girls eyed the gibbering monsters warily, their sweaty palms tightly gripping the glowing gems in their respective pockets. With the return of their memories had come the experience of the countless battles they had fought; each had a good measure of their own ability, and were by no means defenceless.

...That being said, it had been some time since they had fought as magical girls. And not only were they surrounded and outnumbered, they had no inkling of what their opponents were capable of.

"...Guess we don't have much of a choice do we, Sakura-san?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

The two girls steeled themselves as the seething horde poured forth, their cawing filling the air, drowning out the world. With gritted teeth, the girls pulled their gems out of their pockets -

-And then the world shattered.

The air sung as white flashes rained down from above; the black bodies of the monsters were cut in two as serrated blades sliced through them.

Writhing and flailing, their severed bodies fell onto the floor, melting into black smoke as they returned to formless shadow. The sheer number of their corpses raised a cloud of sheer darkness, that swallowed up even the faintest ray of light from the nearby lamp posts.

Whipping about in shock, the girls shielded their eyes as a sudden gale rushed past them, banishing the billowing clouds and freeing the trapped rays of light.

"...I didn't expect to find the two of you here, that's for sure."

The voice froze Kyouko and Mami to the spot. Jerkily, they turned as one towards the voice.

"...Sayaka?"

* * *

They were back in the bright, cosy safety of Sayaka's home. It was late, well past bedtime; and the events of the past hour had left Kyouko and Mami both exhausted.

But neither of them would rest just yet. There were questions that had to be asked, and only one person had the answer.

"...So, let me get this straight. Both of you got your memories back, realised this wasn't Mitakihara, and then decided to try and find a way out of the city. Is that correct?"

Kyouko and Mami nodded affirmatively at Sayaka, now; it was their turn to do the questioning.

"What were you doing there? Did you get your memories back as well?"

"Pretty much, yeah; I actually got my memories back a long time ago."

"Really!? Why didn't you tell us anything!? The city changed, we lost our memories; even Homura went missing! And you never told us anything?!" Kyouko leapt out of her seat in seething rage, hey eyes burning angrily as she slammed her fist onto the table. "...We spent all this time living together, and you never... you never told us anything?!"

"...Chill, Kyouko." Sayaka heaved a heavy sigh as she stirred her teacup listlessly. "I wanted to; I really did. But things were... complicated. I couldn't just come out and tell you all everything..."

"… Alright, so; what exactly happened?"

"...Well..."

Sayaka collapsed into her sofa. Looking out of the glass window, she could see the tree branches shaking silently in some unseen wind. Shapes shifted and moved in the darkness; no doubt caused by those very branches.

"...It's a bit of a long story..."

* * *

"It started on a night like this; back then, everything had been normal. I was in my house, when I heard a knock on the door. I opened it, and found Homura there."

"She was in one hell of a bad state; I don't think I ever saw her like that before. She was in her magical dress, but they were badly ripped. Blood was flowing down her arm, and she had this... wild look in her eyes."

"I told her to come in and treat her wounds, but she brushed me off. She pressed her finger to my head, and that was when my memories returned."

"Listen – to – me,' she rasped. 'Don't ask anything now; just do as I say. Get Madoka and the rest, bring them to the south road; there'll be a wall there, just drag them through it."

"Homura, wait; what's going on - "

"Just – _**GO**_!"

"And before I could say anything Homura was gone; she was heading back to the centre of the city, where this dark, thundery storm brewed in the air."

"Back then, I didn't have a single clue what was happening; so I just got the four of us, and brought us to the place Homura told us to go. We leapt through the barrier just in time too, I think; just as we left there was this... wave, of some sort, spreading out from the center of the city. Whatever it touched wilted and died instantly. I saw people crumbling to dust as it passed over them; and if we had been just a few moments late, we probably would have been caught in it too."

* * *

"...Wait a sec; if you brought us there, why didn't we remember any of that?" Kyouko interrupted.

"Well, the barrier didn't just bring us out of Mitakihara, it altered our memories too so that we forgot everything. It affected me too; though I think it was only temporary for me because whatever magic Homura used was still lingering about me."

"...I don't understand, Miki-san. Why would Akemi-san make us forget everything?" Mami asked.

"This is only a guess, but I think it's to protect us. See, when Homura returned my memories to me she also told me that there was some monster in the city, and that she was going to fight it. I suppose it was a precaution of sorts, in case anything happened. If we didn't have our memories we wouldn't act suspiciously, so if the monster won and came looking he wouldn't know we were magical girls; and thus leave us alone, I guess."

"In case the monster won?" Kyouko blinked incredulously at her words. "Wait... Homura became a _**goddess**_ , didn't she? Are you actually telling me there was something which was _**more**_ powerful than her?"

Sayaka shook her head sadly. "...I don't know. Whatever the reason, I haven't seen Homura ever since."

As Kyouko gaped in disbelief, Mami spoke up."...What about those shadowy creatures, Miki-san? Those aren't the familiars of a witch, correct?"

"To be honest, I don't know what they are either. They aren't a witch's familiars; they just... pop up out of nowhere. I think they're similar to witches, in that they seem to gather in places where people are unhappy; but other than that, I haven't seen any other similarities. I'm guessing that they're summoned by that creature that Homura was fighting, but I can't say for sure."

"What about the city? If this isn't Mitakihara, where is this place? And where did it everything come from?"

"I'm not sure either, Mami. This city might have been created by the same creature; but I can't say for sure. It looks and acts like a normal city, for the most part. I don't this city is out to kill us, that's for sure."

Drained, Kyouko and Mami fell backwards onto the comforting embrace of the sofa.

"...It's just... crazy. I thought it was bad enough to find out that I'm actually a magical girl, but all this..." Kyouko groaned as a dull ache rose up in her head. "...This is too much to take in."

Sayaka sighed. "I know, trust me. But it's the truth."

"...So, what do you think we should to now, Miki-san?"

"About that, Mami; I think what the two of you tried to do was the best idea. I haven't been able to leave the city too, apart from the Kyoto trip; I tried to leave Kyoto during the school trip, but I couldn't either. I'm guessing that Homura, wherever she is, is outside this barrier that holds us in. We'll need to find a way to pass the barrier, in any event."

"I see... Do you have any ideas how?"

"None, unfortunately. We'll just have to keep trying; and if we can find others to help us, that could work too. But we'll have to be careful, since we don't know who we can trust."

A heavy silence settled over the three girls, dragging them down into their seats. Uncertainty, confusion, even fear; a torrent of emotions raged in them. So much had changed in the span of a few hours; and now, even the familiar warmth of the house felt alien and false.

A cheery ding echoed in the still house as the bell rang abruptly, startling the three girls.

"...Who is it at this time?"

Bemused, Sayaka got up and walked over to the door. Swinging open, it revealed a young woman with blonde hair.

"Erm... Who are you?" Sayaka inquired.

"Well... I'm here as a representative. We would like to take you and your two friends to meet someone."

"We? Who's we - "

Sayaka fell silent as she spotted the group of men standing a distance away; cold metal glinted in their arms as they stood at alert. A hunch told Sayaka that there were more of them nearby, out of sight; possibly the house itself was already surrounded.

"Please don't resist; Thanatos just wants a word with the three of you."

* * *

 ** _Author's Notes_**

And Chapter 6 is finally up; wall of text and exposition is complete. I know the footnote at the top may seem redundant, seeing as how this crossover has already thrown spoilers everywhere, but it recently came to my attention that some readers haven't watched Rebellion yet, and I feel really bad about spoiling the movie, seeing as how good it was (in my opinion at least)

For those of you who have watched Rebellion, or are at least familiar with PMMM's plot, you will no doubt be thinking; _**why doesn't anyone comment on how Homura stole Madoka's powers?**_

I personally feel that Homura wouldn't give the magical girls the full, unblemished account of how she took Madoka's powers away and became God herself, since doing so would unnecessarily complicate matters and possibly even make the girls unwilling to help her. Given how she's now imprisoned and relying upon their help, I think it would make more sense for Homura to leave out the events of Rebellion, and just paint herself as the one who ascended to godhood in the first place, so that she would be able to have their full support. Since it's a little hard for me to show that in the story proper (beyond Homura outright stating it, which somehow feels distasteful) I'm explaining it here in the notes.

Hopefully this chapter answers several questions you may have about how everything happened (which is the whole point of this chapter), as well as leave you with some additional questions; wouldn't be fun without some cliffhanging now, would it?

So what's next? Well, if you know who Thanatos is that shouldn't be hard to guess :) Suffice to say that the girls will be getting some new allies. In addition, we'll probably return back to 3-E; it's about time we started laying the groundwork for the summer holidays, where all the fun is going to be at.

My holidays (yes, I'm a student myself) are going to be over soon, so updates may not come so quickly; but don't worry, I'll do my best to keep them coming asap :)


	7. Chapter 7: Friends and Foes

**Chapter 7**

A crisp, refreshing breeze blew through the town, lifting stray strands of thatch free from sand-coloured rooftops. Green leaves danced in its wake, rustling cheerily as they swept through the town. It was summer here; fortunately, it was not as hot as the summer 'there'. According to what he had heard in class, this difference was due to the existence of 'carbon dioxide' and 'fossil fuels'; though, Fenag was completely in the dark as to what they were. Things worked differently in the Maple World, after all.

Fenag stood alone, outside a bluish-mushroom topped house. Leaning beside him was the request that he had come to collect; a gleaming blue bow, freshly carved from a solid chunk of wood. The bowyer who had made it had improved tremendously since Fenag's last visit, and his newfound skills were evident in the bow's workmanship. Its body was smooth and sleek, devoid of any loose splinters or minute cracks which were tell-tale signs of mistakes; the arms curved beautifully towards the tips, where it was topped with gleaming gold. To top it all off, the bow hummed with energy; a sure sign that magic had been worked into the bow during its creation to strengthen it, which was a complex task that only the most skilled of craftsmen could handle. There was no doubt whatsoever that it was a masterpiece.

Yet no matter how long he held it in his hands, the bow still felt alien. The bow's warmth did not seem to flow naturally into his palm, like the way it did when he clasped his own hands together. It was not hot enough to be scalding, sure; but neither was it comfortably warm.

Shrugging his shoulders helplessly, Fenag picked up the bow. Raising the bow to shoulder height, he tugged experimentally on the silver bowstring. Methodically drawing the bow back, he pulled it back as far as he could go. The limber arms flexed smoothly, relishing the challenge the bowman gave them.

Satisfied, Fenag slowly closed up his bow, grimacing as he did so.

Like his bow, his armour had been replaced with a newer, stronger version. Yet, underneath the spotless and fluted shoulder guard, Fenag could still feel an ache in his left arm. It was a slight one; more a sensation of stiffness than any stinging pain. But it was there, nonetheless, not as a badge of courage; but rather as a badge of recklessness.

Along with the foreign sensation that his bow gave him, it was a stark reminder that not everything was the same. Things had been irrevocably lost, and changes had been made. He too would have to adapt, certainly.

"Fenag!"

Looking up, Fenag spotted Erwin running towards him. "What's wrong, Erwin? Why did you need to see me so urgently?"

"It's…"

Gasping for breath, Erwin shook his head frantically. "The Knights, they…You need to see this."

Realizing that something was very wrong, Fenag quickly followed after the mage as he sprinted off. The two ducked and weaved through the throngs of children crowding the sunny streets of Henesys, dodging stray balls and toy arrows as the jovial cries of the children filled the air. Leaving the comforting cobblestone path behind, the two rushed down a small dirt path into Erwin's house, where the portal was located.

To prevent inquisitive children from peering through the windows and spotting the portal, the curtains were always tightly drawn; despite that, several faint beams of light shone defiantly through the windows, falling as gleaming rays upon the silver steel of the Cygnus Knights posted to guard the portal.

But as Fenag's vision returned, what struck him was not the brightly-polished metal; but rather, the dull, muted glistening of blood. The wizened oak table that had once stood proudly in the center of the room now lay broken and bloodied, its limbs cracked and scattered. The Knights, whom had once stood firmly in disciplined rows near the portal were now driven to the edges, propping themselves up against the groaning wooden walls; drained, exhausted eyes peeked out under armoured visors at the stunned Bowman as he took in the carnage.

"… _What in the world_ happened here?"

"An attack happened, that's what." Lily busied about the wounded Knights, staunching wounds and mending torn flesh. "Apparently, the people on the other side of the portal aren't quite as helpless as we thought; a girl came right through with an entire mob of Dusties with her. I'm actually quite surprised we managed to keep them from spilling into the town."

"A girl? Who was she?"

"Well now, that's a good question. Know any girls from Kunugigaoka with red hair?"

"From Kunugigaoka?! You mean one of the students there attacked us?"

"Well, it's either that, or the uniform was stolen. I doubt she was wearing a wig, though."

Red hair? Fenag racked his brains; there was brown, blue, green, black, even a few maroons, but red hair was…

"…There is. There is someone with red hair at Kunugigaoka."

"What?!" Erwin swivelled to face Fenag. "Who?!"

"You've seen her before, actually; in the art room."

Fenag's bow shook in anticipation as he tightened his grip on it; he didn't know whether she was actually behind it – but if she was, she was going down. There was no way he was going to let the culprit walk free; not even if she was a girl.

"…Looks like it's time to pay our new class a visit."

* * *

 **3-E's Classroom**

"My name's Fenag; yeah, I know it's strange. Nice to meet you all."

Nagisa stared dumbfoundedly at the former prefect, who now stood in front of the class. Behind him, Korosensei wiggled his tentacles welcomingly as he spoke to the class.

"Though he's joining us rather late, I do hope that everyone will still be able to welcome him warmly as a member of 3-E!"

None of the 3-E students responded. A person at the back of the class snorted, his words echoing through the silent classroom.

"Well? Which government sent you here? And how are you going to assassinate Korosensei?"

"I'm not an assassin; I'm just being transferred here. I'm a normal student."

Derisive snorts sprung up across the classroom, but if it bothered him he gave no sign of it.

"Please settle down, everyone. You are all classmates, so do play nice and be friends with each other, alright? Fenag-san, would you mind taking that seat at the back?"

"Sure." Unfazed by the suspicious glances following him, he strode calmly through the class. Nagisa's eyes followed him as well; though out of surprise and curiosity, rather than any feeling of animosity.

"It's strange isn't it, Kyouko-san? I didn't expect him to transfer into 3-E; he also doesn't feel like an assassin – "

Nagisa fell silent. Kyouko was resting her head on her hands as she faced the window, staring off into the distance. It wasn't unusual for her to be distracted during class; but this was the first time he had seen such an intense expression on her face.

Deciding not to disturb her, Nagisa turned to look a final time at Fenag; and noticed that he was staring straight at them. His unblinking, hawk-like eyes were fixated on Kyouko's back, but quickly darted to meet Nagisa's; feeling like a deer caught in the headlights of a car, Nagisa turned away swiftly.

But when he cast a second furtive glance back to Fenag, he found that those unrelenting eyes had returned to aim squarely at Kyouko's back.

"I would also like to introduce a new teacher, who will be assisting me with the P.E lessons." Startled Nagisa, along with his fellow classmates, turned anxiously to Karasuma. "Don't worry; I promise that he won't be like Takaoka."

A collective sigh of relief passed through the class.

Just a few days ago, their P.E lessons had been handed over to a former colleague of Karasuma's. 'Takaoka-sensei', as he had forced them to call him, had immediately enforced a brutal regimen of non-stop training that – even to the strict Karasuma himself – was nothing short of sadistic. However, despite Karasuma's efforts to intervene Takaoka refused to back down, and had only left after Nagisa had managed to beat him in a fight.

But the incident had left its mark on them, and it was with wary eyes that the class eyed the new teacher as he entered; with the exception of Nagisa, as well as a select few.

"My name is Kazami Yuuji; some of you would know me as the sniper that worked with your class during your Kyoto trip. At the request of the government, I'll be joining your class for the time being. Pleased to meet you."

Nagisa could not believe the sheer coincidence of it all. Looking sideways, he found that Kyouko was gazing intently at Yuuji too.

"It's quite surprising for Kazami-san to join us, isn't it? I didn't think we would see him again after our Kyoto trip."

"…Well, guess that's true."

While the rest chattered excitedly about Yuuji, Kyouko alone sat quietly in her seat; her left hand absent-mindedly twirled a pen as she stared momentarily at Yuuji, before returning her gaze to the outside. Stunned, Nagisa could only stare blankly at her.

"Erm… Kyouko-san, aren't you surprised?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, it's surprising."

Nagisa had no idea what had happened. He hardly recognized this new Kyouko in front of him; gone was the boisterous energy, the snarky attitude. The Kyouko now was absorbed and distracted, much like the way she was when she had first entered the class. Only a single weekend had passed since he had last seen her, and now she was practically a different person. Had something happened?

Uncomfortably, Nagisa stole a final glance at the back of the class. Though Karasuma was busy introducing Yuuji, Fenag was paying no attention to them. His eyes were still fixed upon Kyouko; cold, calm, and focused, they were like the eyes of a hawk diving towards its prey; or the eyes of an assassin, singling out its target.

It was the middle of summer, and the sun was blazing hot. Yet despite the sweltering heat Nagisa felt no warmth in his bones as he turned back to the front. Something was off. Something was going on, behind his back.

Something was terribly, dangerously wrong.

* * *

"Mum, I'm home."

There was no response; she was probably in the bathroom.

Nagisa's house was painted in white, with a single fluorescent light in the middle of the ceiling that threw its glaring rays across the room. The stark bareness of the walls lent an almost clinical quality to the room, reminding Nagisa of some hospital room he had seen before. A glass table stood near the back of the living room; its smaller, shorter child sat obediently in front of a pink sofa that towered above it. Behind the sofa lay a glass closet, filled with a wide variety of dresses; pink, green, frilly, smooth. But for all their variety, they all shared one thing in common, and that was that they were all about his size.

Looking about, Nagisa noticed an open magazine on the large glass table. Walking over, he realised it was a brochure about dresses for young girls; several prices and designs had been prominently circled in bold, overpowering red. It was at this moment that his mother strode out of the bathroom.

"Welcome back, Nagisa. Have you had dinner yet?"

"N-no, I haven't."

"Well then, I'll cook something up for you. Just give me a short moment, alright? I need to do some ordering."

"Ok…" Nagisa watched silently as his mother picked up the magazine, before disappearing into her room.

He didn't want to eavesdrop. Besides, it wasn't as if eavesdropping would change anything.

…But this time, he felt he wanted to. No; he _**had**_ to. And so, he crept over to the slightly ajar door; and listened.

"Hello? I would like to place an order for dresses… yes, those designs. Oh, sizes? Ah yes, I have the measurements…"

Nagisa didn't need to listen any further. He knew those measurements. He had taken them himself just yesterday. When she had told him to take his measurements out of the blue, he had expected that it would be for something like this. It wasn't much of a surprise at all.

He felt hungry, so Nagisa decided to grab a bite first. And so, he walked over to the kitchen, straight to the refrigerator – but something caught his attention.

A gleaming knife laid on the counter. It was splattered with fruit juice; perhaps his mother had been using it earlier. Picking it up, he decided to put it back.

…Where did she keep the knives, again? He had forgotten. Oh well, he'll just have to ask her.

Cheerily, he strolled across the quiet room to the ajar door, the gleaming knife cradled in his warm palm. From here, he could see that her back was turned.

…Actually, while he was at it… Why not just kill her?

It would be simple. He would walk up behind her. He would stab her in the neck, while covering her mouth. He would wait for her to stop struggling, before pulling her shirt off to staunch the flow of blood. He would then grab a trash bag, put her body and the soiled clothes inside, then drag it out to the bin and throw it in. Simple.

And such a simple solution would solve so many problems. He could clear out the closet, and put his own (male) clothes inside, instead of leaving them in a dusty box at the bottom of the closet. He could get his father to move back in with them. He wouldn't need to keep his hair long like a girl. He wouldn't need to wear a dress anymore.

And all he had to do was to kill her. Simple enough; he would just be putting what he learnt in class into practice. Making use of what he learnt in school to improve his life; that was a _normal_ thing. He would improve his life; he would –

"…What am I doing?"

Nagisa was standing in the doorway of his mother's room. His left hand was pushing open the door silently; his right gripped a kitchen knife tightly. And as his body trembled uncontrollably, the realization of what he was about to do struck him, like divine lightning from above.

"W-Why? Why did I…"

"Does it _matter_?" Whirling about, Nagisa looked for the source of the voice; but it was nowhere to be found.

"Who…Who's that? What do you want?"

"Does _that_ matter?" The voice mocked. "What matters is what _you_ want."

"…What I want?"

"Yes, indeed." The voice slipped across the room, as soft as flowing spring water, as sweet as the ripest, juiciest berries. Bounty, harvest, wealth, pleasure; like music it sung to him, stirring up depths in him that even Nagisa himself did not know. "You know what you want, don't you? You know what to do to reach it. Why hesitate?"

"B-But, she's…she's my mother…"

"So? She _hurts_ you, _controls_ you; she forces her own failed dreams upon you, she twists you into her own doll and plaything. Is she _worthy_ to be called a mother? Does she _deserve_ you? What have _you_ done to deserve this? What sin have _you_ committed? _**Nothing**_. And yet you suffer at _her_ hands, simply for the sin of being born to her. How _**unjust**_."

"Kill her. Kill her and free yourself. Kill her and you could be everything you ever wanted to be – and _more_. This world does not need her; but it needs _**you**_."

"I… I am needed?"

"Yes, the world needs you, to protect it from Korosensei; so prove your worth. Kill her, and remove this obstacle. Show the world that you have what it takes to protect it; that you are capable of making sacrifices for the _**greater good**_."

That's right. She was an obstacle. She _**needed**_ to die. He _**needed**_ to kill her for the greater good. He needed to – to –

"…I... No…I…I _**can't**_ …"

Nagisa couldn't. How – how could he? His own _mother_. She raised him, fed him, sheltered him; how could he? He could not; he simply could not.

The bloodlust drained from Nagisa, as did the colour from his face; and as strength left him, the knife he had clutched on to so tightly slipped, and fell soundlessly to the floor.

He needed to leave. Trembling, Nagisa staggered to the door, clumsily slipping into his shoes.

" _ **Coward**_."

Nagisa didn't care anymore. He needed to leave. He needed to run.

"Coward _. Coward_ _ **. Coward**_."

Shivering and gasping, Nagisa ran from his house. Tears filled his eyes as he ran blindly, stumbling and blundering through the darkening streets; but he could not care anymore.

* * *

A park was a terrifying place to be alone in at night. What was clear in the day was warped beyond recognition by the night; thin branches became long, serrated claws, the lush green bushes became masses of solid darkness, cackling incessantly as some unseen wind passed by. Every now and then a disembodied sound would filter through the rustling shadows, and the hair on the skin would stand, in fear of some supernatural entity. An ordinary person would not linger in a park at night; and perhaps it was for that very reason, that he now found himself seeking solace in the solitude of the park.

Nagisa had no idea how long he had been running. It had still been light outside when he had left; now, it was pitch-black. He suspected that his phone had rang several times while he had been running, but he had hardly registered it then. Now, he was too afraid to check his phone; not out of fear of punishment, but rather out of fear that doing so would reawaken the darkness that was in him.

Nagisa was terrified. It was not the first time that he had been dressed up in a girl's clothes at the behest of his mother. It was not the first time he had seen her order new dresses for him. Such incidents had been a fact of life for him; it was simply an occurrence that happened, and would continue to happen. He had accepted it.

But if that was the case, why had he acted in such a manner? He had not simply considered it; he had even been about to execute it. A few steps more, and he would have killed his own mother in cold blood. And he did not understand why. Did he secretly hate her? Did he blame her for all his troubles? She was his mother, after all – and he found it hard to imagine him murdering his own mother.

…So why had he tried to?

Because he could not find any answer, Nagisa stayed. The night wind, even in summer, was cold; the nearby lights flickered in apathy, blind to his plight. Silently he sat, upon the rigid wooden bench, his head in his hands. The wind shrieked and moaned; but Nagisa was not afraid of them. He was afraid of himself.

…So consumed was he, that he did not notice the patter of footsteps approaching him.

"Is that you, Nagisa? What are you doing here?"

"…Kyouko? Is that you?"

"Well, yeah; who do I look like? Are you crying?"

"I'm…" A sense of relief washed over him, and with it his self-awareness returned, prompting him to dab quickly at his eyes. "I'm alright."

"Liar." She giggled. Sitting down beside him, her lips curled into a smile as she leaned towards Nagisa. "You're so helpless, you know that? Like a lost child, desperately searching for his mother."

"Kyouko-san, I – "

"Shh."

A gentle finger fell upon his lips, and he was silenced. He could feel her soft, silky breath on his face, and make out the faint pinkness of her thin lips. As he watched, her pink lips parted seductively, revealing a flash of pure white. Mesmerized, his body froze as she leaned in even closer towards him.

"Let me tell you a secret, Nagisa."

Her hand slid smoothly up his chest, tracing his ribcage to his throat. Her hot breath tickled his ear as her mouth moved to his ear, bringing with it a faint, floral scent that melted his mind.

"Little lost boys like you… should just stay silent and _**obey**_."

* * *

With what seemed to resemble a groan, the last Dustie exploded into pieces. Looking about carefully, Fenag sighed as he relaxed.

"I think you're actually better now, Fenag!" Erwin exclaimed excitedly as he stared wide-eyed at the bowman. "I'm pretty sure you're several times more powerful now, as compared when you were still using that old bow of yours!"

"…If you keep barking like that, I'm really going to mistake you for a real dog one of these days."

"Hey, what gives! You got a new bow, you know! I still can't believe Master Grendel brought it for you as a present; it must have cost a ton! Shouldn't you be…like, happy?"

"I'm _grateful_ , Erwin; but…I don't know, this bow just feels… stiff."

"Stiff?! Of course it'll be stiff; it's a new bow! You're still just hung up over that old bow of yours, aren't you?"

"I _know_ I am, Erwin; it's just…" Fenag's shoulders sagged as he trudged away.

"Look, that bow's been with me for years. I know exactly how it feels when it's at half or full draw. I know exactly how the bowstring sings when I release it. I know the new bow is better, but it just… it just isn't the same. They may look similar, but they just aren't the same."

"Well, whatever suits you I guess. Me; I'll take an upgrade any day – Hey, who's that?"

The two froze as they spotted a pair embracing on a park bench in the distance. Squinting, Fenag could tell that they were wearing the Kunugigaoka uniform.

"Are those students? We need to get them out of here before they're attacked."

"Are they stripping? Please tell me they're stripping." Erwin declared hopefully as he hopped from side to side.

"Erwin you disgusting little dog; this isn't the time for – "

A scream pierced the air, silencing them.

Swivelling to face the two, Fenag stared as one of them rose into the air, enclosed in a cage of swirling shadows; a boy with blue hair – no, wait; that guy was –

" – _**HEY!**_ " At Fenag's cry, the other person turned; and their eyes met.

"… _ **You.**_ "

The girl smiled icily at the vehemence of his words.

Wasting no time, Fenag nocked an arrow, drawing it up to his cheek. "Let him go now, or – "

Before he had finished Nagisa was flying at him; grunting, Fenag caught him, staggering back as he did so. Quickly checking the boy, he heaved a sigh of relief to find he was unharmed.

"Fenag! She's escaping!" Looking up, Fenag the girl running off, her fiery red hair vanishing into the shadows.

"Erwin! Look after him! And get Lily here!"

Grabbing his fallen bow, Fenag sprinted off after her.

She had many things to answer for; and he would be damned if he let her slip away now.

* * *

 _ **Author's Notes**_

Well, that got dark pretty quickly. Though, I must admit I had quite a bit of fun here; I'm probably more sadistic than I expected.😊

For those of you who wanted Nagisa's mother to die, sorry about that but I'm not a fan of patricide. I do also think that if Nagisa was able to put up with his mother for 14 full years, he wouldn't murder her with just a slight push.

I have to admit that I got lost on this chapter for quite some time; I felt that jumping straight to Thanatos, whom I mentioned in the previous chapter, would be too…direct, in a sense, but I didn't have much of an idea otherwise then. Now though, I'm rather pleased with the turn this chapter took; though whether or not it's entertaining and still relevant remains to be seen. Hopefully it is, of course :)

So what's up next? Well, I certainly can't leave this encounter on a cliffhanger, so I'm going to resolve it. With any luck, we should also see the battle lines being drawn next chapter, and it'll become clear who's on which side (or not. Hehe)

Well then, time for Chapter 8! School just began for me, so I fortunately still have quite a bit of time. Here's to hoping that doesn't change in the coming weeks! (though, that almost feels irresponsible...)


	8. Chapter 8: Spreading Flames

_**Chapter 8**_

"Geez, how troublesome..."

Clicking her tongue in annoyance, Kyouko pulled her spear free from the corpse; with a soft whisper, it exploded into fragments of dust and vanished. Looking around, she saw that the shadows had fallen silent and still; for this place, at least.

"Give me a break... It's a pain in the ass having to hunt all of you down after school, you know?"

Sighing, Kyouko swung her spear over her shoulders as she walked off towards the next cluster.

She really didn't want to do this. After a long day of sweating it out in the oven that was her classroom, and toughing out the strict (admittedly, not as strict as Takaoka's, but still) physical regimen implemented by the new P.E teacher; the last thing she wanted to do was to drag her sticky, smelly self all over the city hunting for monsters at night.

"And while I'm sweating it out over here, _**she's**_ enjoying herself in that air-conditioned room of hers... I mean, I get that she's not the fighting type, but still; can't she just show a little appreciation for all this effort we're putting in?! The way she talks, you'd think we couldn't do anything without her, dammit..."

What made it all the more frustrating was that Kyouko knew that she was probably _**right**_. She had access to the resources and information that they desperately needed; as Mami herself had put it, they wouldn't be getting anywhere without her.

That, however, did not make her attitude any more tolerable – nor her decisions.

"I don't see why she insists so much on keeping this whole matter under wraps; as long as we can find Homura, everything should work out just fine. 'Sides, it's not like these monsters are actively going around hunting people. We could just leave them alone, and focus on finding Homura – "

A soft chittering interrupted her monologue. Grunting irritably, Kyouko turned to find several Dusties emerging from the shadows about her.

"You bastards just can't take a hint, do you?!"

Laying about her angrily, she made swift work of them.

"...Alright, if there are any more of you just come out now and let's get this over with – "

A blur of movement shot across the edge of her vision.

Spinning about, Kyouko found nothing there, but the rustling of leaves.

"...Was it just my imagination?"

Shrugging, she turned back to the path –

A flash of gold shot across her vision.

Freezing, Kyouko turned jerkily to see a glowing arrow buried in the stone path, vibrating with energy.

Staring blankly at it, Kyouko jumped as an ice-cold voice cut through the silence.

"...Where do _**you**_ think you're running to now?"

* * *

High up in the branches, Fenag felt a twinge of indignation at her stunned expression as she turned to face him. Did she seriously think he couldn't catch up to her?

" _ **The –The hell**_!? You're that transfer student, aren't you?! That prefect!"

Ignoring her outburst, Fenag drew his bow, aiming squarely at her. "Drop the spear, and explain yourself."

"Explain what?! Heck, _**I'm**_ the one who needs an explanation – "

A second arrow flashed past her; this time, it almost grazed her ear.

A frigid silence smothered the space between them. Even from his perch in the trees, Fenag could see the fire crackling in her eyes as they glared at each other.

"Look here, I'm in no mood to be playing about with you. You're going to give me a good explanation _**why**_ you attacked those Knights, and you're going to tell me _**exactly**_ what – the – hell were you doing to one of our classmates."

"Look, I _**don't bloody know**_ what the hell are you – Wait, 'classmate'? Who?"

"Oh, you don't remember? Funny, I thought the two of you were close."

" _ **Just bloody answer me**_! Who!?"

Fenag snorted derisively at her pretentiousness. "Short guy with blue hair, looks like a girl. Ring any bells?"

"...Wait, _**Nagisa**_?! What happened?! Is he all right?"

"Oh, so _**now**_ you're showing concern for him? Should've thought of that _**before**_ you attacked him, right?"

" _ **Just answer me, dammit**_!"

"You know the answer _**yourself**_."

Fenag drew his bow once more. This time, the arrow crackled intensely with energy. A stray spark lashed against an unfortunate branch nearby, scorching it to ashes.

"You're going to drop that spear and come with me. There's a lot of explaining you have to do, and I'm tired of playing games here."

* * *

A trickle of sweat ran down Kyouko's face as she glared upwards at the strange archer.

Normally, she would have been happy to comply and clear any misunderstanding about her; even if he was being a prick about it. _**This**_ time, though...

" – Avoid all contact with people who strike you as being from another world; we don't know if they're hostile. Report any meetings back to me, and I'll gather as much information on them as I can before we take action."

"...Well, that's simple."

Now however, Kyouko wished she could have gone back in time to punch herself.

And as much as she might gripe about it, she had orders to follow – orders which she herself grudgingly agreed with. And so, she took the only choice she really had.

"...Look, I don't even know if you're an enemy. I have my own orders, and there's no way I can just drop everything and follow you off to god-knows-where – "

Energy exploded from above as lightning drove towards her; heat seared her skin as she leapt backwards. The crackling bolt struck the floor before her, incinerating the grass there. A whiff of smoke stung her eyes as the blaze that had sprung up vanished, leaving only cinders behind.

"Don't worry; you _**will**_."

Divinginto the bushes, Kyouko watched a whole quiver of arrows pummel the ground she had been standing on just moments ago.

" _ **Goddammit**_ , it just isn't my day today!"

Cursing, she leapt through the leaves, dodging amidst the shadows. Branches cracked, leaves shivered, trees shook; but no matter how much she jumped, ran, dashed, leapt, it was all in vain – for whenever she turned to look back he was there, a solid blackness darting across the trees; always in sight of her.

Ducking behind the large trunk of a nearby tree, Kyouko's lips curled into a grimace as she took a quick moment to catch her breath.

"...Right, this – _**isn't**_ – working."

She could try to make a break for the city; she doubted he would attack her in the open view of civilians. However, that meant she had to cut through the open, grassy fields of flowers that encircled the park, which gave no cover at all. She probably wouldn't even make it halfway there.

That left her only one option; she didn't like it, but –

Instinct screamed at her to move –

– Dodging sideways, she found a hail of shining arrows impale the ground she had been standing on, splattering her with dirt.

" _ **Aw come on!**_ "

She took off again, fleeing through the laughing trees; like a dark cloud he followed her, crackling ominously with energy. Bolt after bolt of crackling energy smashed the ground beside her, sending chunks of soil screaming into the air.

"Getting – too – damn – _**close**_!"

They – no, _**she;**_ couldn't keep this up forever. She needed to act.

Kyouko took a swift glance back at him as she hid behind a huge tree, gauging the distance between them. Taking a deep breath, she peered about the trunk, watching as he approached.

"Alright, then..."

Gripping the shaft of her spear tightly, Kyouko darted out, leapt – and threw herself forward.

Surprise crossed his face as she shot towards him, her spear slicing through the air –

… only to bury itself in hollow wood as he leapt back.

Arrows rained reflexively down, but she was already gone; leaping back into the shadows, darting amidst the trees who sheltered her.

Exploding out of the trees, she stabbed viciously at him once again; and this time her spear almost grazed him as he dodged in the nick of time. Arrows whizzed harmlessly past her as she dove back into the shadows of the trees.

"...Well, this isn't so bad."

She couldn't shake him off, sure; but in standing and fighting, she had the advantage. The thick forestation gave her cover, which she could use to close the distance between them without exposing herself to his arrows; and once he was in melee range, she had the upper hand.

Now, all she needed was to land a good blow to keep him down for a while, and she could use it to escape –

A loud caw shattered the night silence.

Looking up, Kyouko recoiled as a wave of heat washed over her.

A great, ruby bird wreathed in flame rose into the black night sky, its gold-tipped wings unfurling majestically. As Kyouko stared amazedly at it, it curled up and sped in a steep dive towards the ground.

Crimson flames blanketed the world in a blinding flash.

Green grass that had once grown freely now crumbled into grey ashes, ancient trees that had never known an axe were now gigantic torches, belching huge plumes of black smoke into the sky.

Jumping free from the flames that threatened to consume her, Kyouko landed in the one spot untouched by the flames; a small clearing where the archer stood at its center.

" _ **Are – you – crazy?!**_ You'll burn the _**whole**_ forest down!"

"I'm surprised to hear that from you. Caring about the environment now, are we?"

" _ **You –**_ "

Arrows screamed down from a turret above; cursing, she dodged frantically. Shooting a glance behind her, she saw that a wall of flames had risen up, cutting off what remained of the trees that had sheltered her.

"…Great."

She was left with only one choice left now.

Gritting her teeth, Kyouko charged him head-on.

Steel bit into soil as he nimbly dodged. Arrows came flying in response; Kyouko swiftly dodged –

" – _**AAHH**_!?"

Rolling, Kyouko smothered the flames that clung to her left. The smell of burning flesh filled the clearing as Kyouko gripped her bleeding arm, glaring upwards at the phoenix hovering menacingly above.

"2 on 1… You _**bastard**_ …"

He snorted at this. "When did I say I was going to fight fairly?"

The arrows came down again.

Rolling, jumping, dashing, dodging; Kyouko edged towards him.

...But it was hopeless.

As she stepped forward, he stepped back; sliding, slipping, swinging.

She tried to follow, but the arrows laughed as they fell; the phoenix jeered as it dived –

– An arm's reach, a spear's reach, a god's reach – and then she could no more.

* * *

"... _ **Khh**_..."

Blood dripped down the gold of her lance as Kyouko sank to the floor. Her legs cried as her flesh rubbed against the arrows biting into them. The solid lance wobbled as she tried to stand; but leaden legs locked and she fell.

Her vision blurred and warped, but she could still make out his figure near the edge of the flames, fixing her with an icy gaze.

"So, are we done playing?"

"… You...bloody... _ **bastard**_..."

"The only one who's bleeding here is you. Besides, I did give you a choice; didn't I?"

Kyouko's glare could have cut through steel; in response, Fenag sighed.

"Look, I don't enjoy torturing people. I gave you an option. You didn't want to take it – so now here we are. I think it's about time you gave up."

"... _ **Goddamnit**_..."

The lance wobbled once again. But this time, though the arrows bit gleefully and her legs cried, Kyouko dragged herself up again.

"...Look here, _**bastard**_... I don't know what the hell's your problem... But I don't give a _**damn**_... I've got people who need my help, and like _**hell**_ – am I going to _**give up here**_..."

Fenag clicked his tongue in exasperation. "You... are one persistent bugger. Well, don't blame me then; this _**will**_ hurt."

The bow arched smoothly backwards as the arrow readied itself. Kyouko tried to move; but her knees buckled and locked.

" – Move, dammit, _**move**_ – "

A twang pealed; a bolt sped at her, fangs keening –

"– _**Sakura-san**_!"

Sparks flew as gold smashed steel, steering the bolt into harmless dirt –

– A sudden screech sliced through the air. The phoenix plummeted to the ground, a glowing hole through its chest, exploding into a cloud of ash as it fell.

" _ **What the**_ – "

A blur of blue burst out of the bushes; the earth shattered and flew as Fenag leapt back.

White billowed briefly, before steel flashed as the figure pursued the archer. Grass crunched as another person landed beside Kyouko.

"Sakura-san, are you all right?"

"…Mami? Why are you… and Sayaka – "

Warm, reassuring hands reached out to support her. "Thanatos told us there was a sudden fire here, where you were supposed to be; we had a bad feeling, so we rushed over quickly." As she spoke, yellow ribbons encircled and bound Kyouko's wounds, staunching them. "...What happened here?"

"Like hell I know… That guy just came out from nowhere... and started demanding I go with him..."

"I see..."

The two looked upwards wordlessly. Wood splintered and snapped as Sayaka's blades swung; sparks cascaded downwards as arrows were slapped aside.

...But for all of Sayaka's speed, she too was having difficulty in catching the archer.

A deafening crack resounded. Branches whipped through the air, screaming as a tree fell. The sparks ended abruptly as the two parted, darting away from the toppling tree.

The earth shook as the tree fell into its embrace. Shortly afterwards, Sayaka landed beside the pair, breathing heavily.

"For an _**archer**_ , he's absurdly good at close combat..."

Mami grimaced. A pair of gleaming muskets formed in her hands, as she stared upwards at the archer nestled in the trees.

"Unless you feel confident your ability to take all three of us on, I suggest you leave while you still can."

A hush fell as the two sides glared at each other. Sighing, Fenag sheathed his bow.

"...This isn't over, Kyouko."

And with a soft rustling of leaves, the archer melted back into the forest.

An uneasy silence persisted in the clearing. Slinging Kyouko's arm over her shoulder, Mami helped Kyouko stagger to her feet.

"...Let's go."

And in hushed tones, the three began the long trek back – towards the comforting lights of the city.

* * *

" – can't just – Hey!"

Mami and Kyouko jerked in surprise as the door burst open; a short, petite girl with silvery hair strode in, followed by a very disgruntled Sayaka, as well as a tall, shaggy-headed blonde.

"Sorry for disturbing your rest, Sakura-san, but this is important. If you are feeling better, I would like to hear _**exactly**_ what happened."

Kyouko and Mami exchanged glances. Sighing, Kyouko winced as she sat up, glaring at the silver-haired girl.

"I thought _**you**_ would have the answer to that. I was just doing _**exactly**_ what _**you**_ ordered me to; running about and hunting those monsters."

Thanatos sighed. "I'm not accusing you of anything, Sakura-san; but something must have happened, and that is what I want to find out. As do you, I believe."

"Tch... Fine. Not like there's much to say, anyway. I was doing my patrols, when that archer suddenly attacked me. He insisted that I come with him to clarify some things, and attacked when I refused. So we fought, and I got smashed up badly. Good enough for you?"

"What did he want you to clarify?"

Kyouko grimaced as she scratched her head. "Something about me supposedly attacking some knight friends of his, and..."

She jerked upright, her eyes widening suddenly.

" _ **Nagisa**_! He said someone attacked Nagisa! Crap, I can't believe I totally forgot about this!"

Thanatos' eyes narrowed. "Nagisa's your classmate, correct?"

"Yeah, that archer said that I had attacked him; but that's ridiculous, I didn't even _**see**_ him there – "

" – Unless it _**wasn't**_ you."

Thanatos turned to the blonde woman standing nearby. "Julia, get in touch with Yuuji; tell him to keep an eye on Nagisa – "

"...Wait, you _**know**_ my new P.E teacher?!"

Thanatos sighed.

"Yes; he's my younger brother."

The bedsheets scrunched as Kyouko found her fists curling into balls. "And when _**exactly**_ were you going to tell _**me**_ – or _**any of us**_ , _**this**_?!"

"When there was a need for it; else, it would just be extraneous. Furthermore, he does not yet know I am still alive, and so I refrained from telling you of this in the event you accidentally let it slip."

"What, so you only tell us things when it's _**convenient**_ for you?! _**We're**_ the ones out there fighting! You don't even have to – "

" _ **Sakura-san.**_ "

Mami's sharp voice silenced Kyouko, but the younger girl was still visibly fuming. Standing, Mami turned to address their 'ally'.

"I am sure that you have your own logical reasons for withholding information from us. However, since we are both working towards the same goals, I would like for there to be cooperation – and _ **trust**_ – between us. You may be providing us with the resources we need; but I hope that we can work together as _**equals**_."

The air visibly tensed in the silence that followed. Exhaling heavily, Thanatos nodded.

"...You are right. I apologize for my behavior." She conceded.

"Besides, now is not the time to bicker among ourselves. This incident has made it clear that there are other parties involved in this matter; and at least one of them is out to sabotage our attempts."

This caught Mami's attention. "Why do you say that?"

"Based on what Sakura-san has told me, it's likely that there's someone attacking other groups while masquerading as her; most likely to sow discord and preemptively prevent us from allying with them. Fortunately, this event has also worked to our advantage; we now know for sure that this 'Fenag' belongs to a second group, and the saboteurs are working to prevent us from contacting them. It would also be likely that this group have interests similar to ours, or the saboteurs would have no need to go to such an extent."

Pausing briefly in thought, Thanatos suddenly turned to Kyouko.

"You see him at school, correct? Could you arrange a meeting with him?"

"Wait, _**what**_? You want me to arrange a meeting with a person who tried to kill me?"

"We do need to establish contact with his group. Besides, I do believe that you wish to clear up this misunderstanding about yourself."

"Argh, geez..." Clicking her tongue, Kyouko exhaled in exasperation.

"Fine, whatever. As long as he doesn't try to shoot me, I'm fine."

"...I'm not, though."

Sayaka stepped forward, a frown streaked across her face.

"We don't even know for sure that they will be willing to listen to us, let alone cooperate. There's no way I'm letting Kyouko run off into danger just like that."

"Your concern is understandable, but we can't leave things as they are. Furthermore, this could be a good chance to establish links with another group. Don't worry; I'll see that the meeting takes place in a safe location, and you can standby somewhere close if you're still worried."

Sayaka's brow furrowed, but she remained silent. Mami glanced empathetically at her, but she too could not raise an objection.

"Well then; if that's settled I'll head off to make preparations. Do have a good rest."

Air swished softly as the door opened; before it was abruptly silenced as the door swung shut.

Alone inside the room, the three magical girls could only look at each other. Kyouko was eventually the one to break the silence.

"Come on, cheer up; it's not like I'm dead or something. Besides, I'm the one who agreed to this too."

"I... suppose that's true..."

Sinking back into the bed, Kyouko began to munch on an apple. But the awkward silence persisted; and neither Mami, nor Sayaka; could look the injured Kyouko in the eyes.

* * *

 _ **Author's Notes**_

Well, this took a lot longer than I had expected. Real-life commitments are a very...real...thing. (Yeah, I cringed there too) For those who are still students, bit of a tip from me: try not to fall sick for several days. Catching up is one _**big**_ pain in the ass.

I'm currently experimenting with the writing style I'm using. One obvious change here is the number of bolded and italicized words; I'm trying to see if it helps convey a more natural style of speaking. I think it also helps inject some variety into the walls of text, so I'll probably stick around with it a bit longer and see how it goes. Another change (though it's might not be so obvious) is that I'm switching from semi-colons to hyphens where I think it works; I realized I've been spamming semi-colons a bit _**too**_ excessively. I've also done away with putting the location at the top of the chapter/paragraph; I think that if I can't describe the place to you in my writing, that's already a big oversight on my part.

So what's next? Well, it's time to see how exactly Kyouko and Co. get to setting up a 'meeting'; and how badly I may – or may not – mess it up. What's life without a little surprise every now and then? I'll see if I can wrap up this whole incident within the next chapter; that'll allow me to use chapter 10 for something that's _**hopefully**_ lighter.

I've recently started to put my commuting time to more constructive use than simply zoning into space, so with some luck (and good health) the next instalment should come faster. Thanks again for keeping up with this; it's really encouraging to have people following this crossover of mine, despite the considerable delays in updating.

Alright – to Chapter 9 we go!

(I had thought to put the chapter's title as _**Catching Fire**_ , but well... Probably not a good idea haha)


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